We founded our Tennessee chapter in 1997 and were chartered by IRRA in 1998.  I began by identifying a group of labor relations professionals from around Tennessee, public and private sector managers, union officials, AAA and FMCS representatives, professors who work in labor relations, and attorneys (mgmt and labor).  It's very important to contact the state labor council and let them know what you are doing and solicit their support.  In Michigan you have strong ILR programs at two universities, Ann Arbor and MSU.  If you don't have contact information, please tell me and I can provide names, addresses and phone numbers.  You also have two Labor Education centers in Michigan, one at Northern Michigan (Ted Balzarini) and MSU (Scott Tobey).  These centers are part of the University and College Labor Education Association and usually have very experienced and well connected practitioners who know the state thoroughly and can help you to make contacts and avoid mistakes. I also asked IRRA for a list of its members in the state.  In 1997 we had two organizing meetings to which I invited people I'd identified.  Along with the invitation I sent information about IRRA (which they supplied). 

Those attendees who were supportive then became part of my organizing committee and we did a couple things.  First, we began building a mailing list.  Use every contact and source you can think of.  Second, we started a website.  Universities are well equipped to do this gratis and one of the labor education centers may help.   Third, we began planning a "kick-off" conference. 

Then we began program planning.  IRRA was very helpful and several national figures who are active in IRRA came to the conference.  Pick a set of hot topics for sessions, panels and workshops.  DO NOT MAKE IT ACADEMIC.  DO NOT ASK PEOPLE TO WRITE PAPERS.  I recommend sessions on such things as health and safety, FMLA, Workforce Investment Act, recent issues at the NLRB, a panel of arbitrators talking about how they make decisions, a grievance mediation workshop, violence in the workplace, etc. 

You know the things that interest people in the field.   We always have (now after three years and three conferences we can write "always") a plenary session with two teams, one public and one private, of managers and union officials.  Each team gives a presentation about their progressive and innovative cooperative relations programs and talk about how this has helped the business.  It's always very interesting and very successful.

Then publicize it.  Contact the media throughout the state.  We built up a media contact list for press releases.  Have the FMCS commissioners talk up your chapter.  Engage the AAA staff and officers. 

Hold the conference at a hotel and don't make it too expensive.   Do craft the registration fee so it includes a one-year membership in your local chapter.  If you like, and IRRA would like this, you can make a first year membership in IRRA part of the registration fee too.

Choose a union hotel!!  If that isn't possible, make sure all the union people know you tried. 

All this takes lots of work and it helps to distribute the labor. 

If you get some attorney involved with the early planning, have them get you registered as a non-profit corporation.  Also, to subsidize photocopying and mailing costs, get some help from various sources.  We got help from the university, from the labor education centers, from various companies and unions who helped subsidize these costs with sponsorships. 

Sponsorships for the conference are also important.  Target those companies and unions who have good relations.  Also, sell booths at the conference (we charge $500) to companies and to AAA. 

Once you have your kick-off conference and a body of core members, begin having dinner meetings.  These will bring in more members and give everyone a sense of continuity. 

There must be many other things we did that I'm not thinking of yet. 

After three years we have over 100 members, bi-monthly dinner meetings in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville. In January of 2003 we have over 200 members!  It can be done!

Professor William Canak

TERRA Chapter IRRA, Dept. of Sociology, Middle Tennessee State University, Box 10, Murfreesboro TN 37132 Phone and Fax: (615/898-5361) email: wcanak@frank.mtsu.edu