The Labor and Employment Relations Association (formerly IRRA-Industrial Relations Research Association) was established in 1947 when some 20 people organized a committee to form an association focusing on "labor theory"... in contact with reality.
"We started out as rebels...We first met almost like conspirators." Clark Kerr, President Emeritus, University of California, a founder of IRRA.
In the late 40's universities were including labor economics in their curricula, industrial relations centers were being created and professionals were entering industries, unions and government - the "rebels" had a cause...
To encourage discourse in the field, to provide a forum where practitioners can share ideas, and to bring together people from related fields to discuss matters having an impact on labor-management relations.
At the end of 1947, the fledgling group held its first meeting, and over 100 people attended. They selected the name "Industrial Relations Research Association", in the belief that it was all-inclusive, denoting the entire field. The word "Research" reflected the Associations' commitment to encourage and discuss a full array of research and ideas in all aspects of the field.
In 1948 IRRA was 1,000 members strong and held the first annual meeting in Cleveland. The Associations headquarters was established at the University of Illinois by the first secretary-treasurer, William H. McPherson, and editor, Milton Derber. In 1954, the office was moved to the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison and remained there until 1999, when it returned to the University of Illinois. Cincinnati was the sight of the first IRRA spring meeting in 1951.
Chapters have always been a vital part of the Association, providing energy, resources for ever changing leadership, and continual and evolving reflection of the dynamic field of industrial relations/human resources. The first chapter was formed in 1948 in Washington DC followed soon after by chapters in New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, and Wisconsin. Today there are approximately 50 active chapters located throughout the United States and Canada that meet to discuss issues of mutual interest.
IRRA Bylaws established in 1947 required chapter officers to be members of the National Association. An amendment passed by the Executive Board in 1990 requires Board members to be members of the chapter where one is geographically available. In 1989, a Chapter Advisory Committee (NCAC) was formed to assist the Executive Board in identifying ways the national IRRA could work more closely with chapter officers and members. Chapter officers and representatives meet with national officers and NCAC members each year at the annual and spring meeting. Over the years, the National has drawn heavily on chapter members for its national officers and board members, and for participants in the two annual meeting programs.
IRRA publications have played a major role in fulfilling the Association's purposes of sharing ideas and knowledge. Annual research volumes, widely praised for their significant contributions to the field, have traced, assessed, analyzed and compared the changing issues, priorities, and concerns which have arisen in the industrial relations setting both in the US and abroad. Proceedings from annual and spring meetings have informed and stimulated discussion on topics of interest to members and the IR/HR community in general and have provided the ties that bind. The popular practitioner magazine Perspectives on Work covers issues such as the internet driven workforce and social security reform. The Membership Directory (now online for all current national members) is a handy guide for connecting with colleagues and professionals in the field. Quarterly Newsletters (also online) have for years kept members abreast of the activities of the association.
The IRRA counts a membership of 3,200 professionals representing leaders from management and unions, their advocates, academics, representatives of governmental organizational members that support the research and publications of the association. Additionally, libraries and other agencies subscribe to the IRRA publications.
Each period in our history has offered new challenges and today is no exception. The Electronic Age has accelerated and facilitated the flow of information and technology, sometimes at a pace which is difficult to comprehend. Organizations such as the IRRA become even more important as a forum for dialogue between and among the many interests int he workplace setting and an excellent vehicle to promote understanding of the rapid changes and the priorities of a global economy.