Perspectives Online Companion
Fall 2008 (Number 9)
This ninth edition of LERA's Perspectives Online Companion contains three articles and three Industry Council reports. The first essay, by Marick F. Masters, considers what is at stake for labor in the U.S. elections of 2008. The second, by Lydia Morrow Ruetten and Marsha Katz, examine the challenges of negotiating and implementing organizational change in a unionized setting. Both essays anticipate subjects that will appear in the forthcoming print edition of Perspectives on Work. The third article, by Charles Whalen, reviews three books about the current economy and its impact on working families. Industry Council reports address LERA-sponsored research and dialogue on health care, higher education, and the public sector.

LABOR IN AMERICAN POLITICS: PREVIEW
Labor in 2008: What’s At Stake?
By Marick F. Masters
The U.S. elections of 2008 may be pivotal for organized labor. This article examines electoral landscape, labor’s resources and key objectives, and the position in which labor finds itself at this critical juncture.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: PREVIEW
Negotiating and Implementing Change in a Unionized, Academic Environment
By Lydia Morrow Ruetten and Marsha Katz
This article describes the labor-management negotiations process, results and major lessons of implementing institutional and cultural change at Governors State University.

BOOK REVIEW
Wall Street vs. Working Families: A Review Essay
By Charles J. Whalen
Reviews Supercapitalism, by Robert B. Reich, The Big Squeeze, by Steven Greenhouse, and The Squandering of America, by Robert Kuttner.

INDUSTRY COUNCIL REPORTS
Innovations in Health Care Delivery and their Implications for Workers and Patients
By James Bialke, Jody Hoffer Gittell, Jim Pruitt, and Dana Weinberg

LERA’s Newest Industry Council Focuses on Higher Education
By Michael Loconto

Public Sector Industry Council Update
By Marick F. Masters and Michael Filler

Spring 2008 (Number 8)
This eighth edition of LERA's Perspectives Online contains three articles. The first essay, by Ellen Dannin, of Penn State Dickinson School of Law, offers a preview of a feature – on Work, Workers, Faith and Values – to appear in the forthcoming print edition of Perspectives on Work . The second article, by Perspectives on Work editor Charles Whalen, examines the work (and play) of writing. The third article, by economist Markley Roberts, reviews Freedom Is Not Enough: The Opening of the American Workplace, by Nancy MacLean (Harvard University Press, 2006).

WORK, WORKERS, FAITH AND VALUES
Judaism, Community and Work
By Ellen Dannin
The key to the survival of Judaism, writes Dannin, is its focus on community and its demand for fair treatment of all members of that community, including workers, the poor, and resident aliens. “The rules that control Jewish life and religious practice address questions fundamental to human existence,” Dannin explains. Its concerns are frequently expressed in relation to work and poverty, and its rules apply to work hours, wages, workplace safety, immigration, and welfare.

Writing: Work? Fun? Both!
By Charles J. Whalen
Never dread a writing assignment again. Whalen's article demystifies the writing process and reveals the secret that turns writing into an enjoyable experience.

BOOK REVIEW
Equal Employment Opportunity : The Road to Fair Hiring and Promotion
By Markley Roberts
Review of Freedom Is Not Enough: The Opening of the American Workplace.

Perspectives on Work Online Companion Archive
Fall 2007 Edition (Access through LERA Members Library)
Spring 2007 Edition (Access through LERA Members Library)
Fall 2006 Edition (Access through LERA Members Library)
Spring 2006 Edition (Access through LERA Members Library)
Fall 2005 Edition (Access through LERA Members Library)
Spring 2005 Edition (Access through LERA Members Library)
Fall 2004 Edition (Access through LERA Members Library)

Readers are encouraged to contact LERA (at LERAoffice@uiuc.edu ) for information on the print-edition of Perspectives or to become a LERA member.

Labor and Employment Relations Association
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