LERA National Policy Forum

Preliminary Program

June 14-15, 2007

Hotel Washington, Washington, D.C.

 The Search for the New American Dream

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM & SPEAKERS
Thursday, June 14, 2007

9:00-10:15 a.m.:  Opening Plenary Session—The American Dream and Social Contract

Welcome and moderator: Eileen Hoffman, FMCS and LERA President
Introduction of Featured Speaker: Honorary Co-Chair Anna Burger, SEIU, Chair, Change to Win Coalition
Featured Speakers: Thomas A. Kochan, MIT, and author, Restoring the American Dream; and Beth Shulman, author, The Betrayal of Work

10:30 a.m.-Noon—Concurrent Sessions

2.1- What's Happened to the Middle Class?
Survey results always show that the vast majority of Americans consider themselves to be members of the middle class. Statistically, of course, there are always households that are in the middle of the income distribution. In recent years, however, there has been a growing debate on whether middle-income households can afford to sustain a middle-income lifestyle. Some observers believe that the growth in the gap between the rich and the poor in the U.S. has led to a “collapse of the middle class.” As evidence of the collapse, they point to the declining number of jobs usually held by middle-class workers, particularly in manufacturing. They note that middle-income workers have not shared in the productivity gains that have occurred during the recent economic recovery. Some believe the relative decline in the labor movement has contributed to the squeeze on the middle class.

On the other side of this debate, some observers contest the assertion that the middle class is falling behind. They believe the old adage that “a rising tide lifts all boats” continues to hold true for the American economy. The growing affluence of American society, they maintain, has been shared equitably across all income levels. Is the American middle class vanishing? If it is, can the American dream be restored and sustained? Does the American dream continue to be relevant in the face of recent trends in the distribution of income? These are some of the key questions that will be addressed by the panelists in this workshop.

Moderator and presenter : Robert M. Hutchens, Cornell University
Panelists:
Lawrence Mishel, Economic Policy Institute
Stephen Rose, The Third Way
Louis Uchitelle, Reporter and Journalist (author of The Disposable American, Knopf, 2006), New York Times

2.2— Is the New American Dream Available to All?
In America , court decisions and statutory law have for decades clearly prohibited discrimination in the workplace. Individuals have been protected from employment discrimination based on their race, gender, age, disability, religion and ethnicity as well as other factors set forth in state and federal law. These protections are now increasingly being reconsidered in court cases and state initiatives such as those eliminating affirmative action. These changes which are political and cultural, as well as legal, substantially influence public policy. This workshop will discuss whether the American Dream in the workplace is still available to all based on equal employment opportunity.

Co-Moderator: Marlene Heyser, Workplace Law Strategies; Rachel Hendrickson, National Education Association
Panelists:
Nancy Zirkin, Leadership Council on Civil Rights
Lamont Stallworth, The Proposed National Employment Dispute Resolution Act (NEDRA) And The Early Resolution Of Subtle and Unconscious Cases Of Discrimination
Anna Y. Park, EEOC

2.3 —Industry Studies Policy Presentations
Crossing State Lines: Assessing the Employment Implications of the 2006 Repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA)
Moderator: Stephen Rayburn, Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Panelists:
Chris Johansson, IBEW
J. Joseph "Max" Curran, III; Saul Ewing LLP
Discussant: Thomas J. Schneider, Restructuring Associates

Noon-1:30 p.m.:  Lunch/Plenary Speaker—How is Globalization Re-shaping the Dream?

Welcome: Eileen B. Hoffman, FMCS and LERA President
Introduction of Featured Speaker: Honorary Co-Chair Stefan Gorkin, Colgate-Palmolive Co.
Featured Speaker: Honorable Loretta Sanchez, U.S. House of Representatives, 47th District, California

1:45-3:00 p.m.—Concurrent Sessions

4.1—The Impact of Immigration on the American Dream
This panel will (1) describe the demographic trends with respect to immigration among the U.S. labor force, (2) provide an overview to the “immigrant movement” that spread across the country last year and its political implications for labor relations and the labor movement's response to these actions, and (3) provide some national perspectives on immigrants in low-wage jobs and their labor market impacts, and (4) provide the value of trade unions to immigrants and the value of immigrants to trade unions.

Moderator: Fred Feinstein, University of Maryland
Panelists:
Ana Avendano, AFL-CIO
Marielena Hincapie, National Immigration Law Center
Rakesh Kochhar, Pew Hispanic Center

4.2—How Can Trade Agreements Benefit Working Families?
The current debate over international economic integration has come to a stalemate domestically and internationally. New trade agreements are moving largely on a bilateral basis and resemble past agreements, without many changes. Politicians in the U.S. are often reluctant to even publicly touch on the issue of international trade. Yet, the U.S. economy is becoming increasingly integrated. This has brought with it fears about greater income inequality and job loss, but also the potential for new export markets, which are desperately needed in the face of record trade deficits. While there is widespread agreement that the U.S. will not close off its borders to capital and goods from abroad, there is little public debate beyond this point. This panel will present the different policy positions and explore common ground to identify policies that would maintain the country's openness, but help to ensure that the ensuing economic drawbacks are mitigated.

Moderator: Jonathan Jacoby, Center for American Progress
Panelists:
Thea Lee, AFL-CIO
Howard Rosen, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Dan Griswold, Cato Institute

4.3— High Road Competitive and Employment Strategies: Pathways to the American Dream-Part 1

Moderator: Thomas A. Kochan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Panelists:
Airline: Jody Hoffer-Gittell, Brandeis University
Aerospace: Jacques S. Gansler, University of Maryland
Autos: Frits Pil, University of Pittsburgh
Biotechnology: David Finegold, Rutgers University

3:30-5:00 p.m.—Concurrent Sessions

5.1— Do New Global Realities Demand Changes in the Labor Relations Model?
Does the traditional Labor Relations Model still serve the interests of labor or management? US-based corporations relocate functions offshore (manufacturing, call centers, research, product development) eliminating domestic jobs; suppliers struggle to maintain competitiveness (autos); some are spinning off their operations (aircraft manufacture). International corporations manufacture in the US (autos) with non-represented workforces at lower benefit levels. Mega-retail operators displace smaller businesses, changing the profile of employment from full-time, full benefits to part-time and no or minimal benefit levels. 

These phenomena are changing the number and composition of union represented jobs in the US economy, impacting the opportunities for middle class jobs and changing the traditional balance that has supported the historical collective bargaining model. Do these and other changes in economic competitiveness driven by global competition and the globalization of work content and relocation suggest that the historical labor relations model can no longer produce job creation and an opportunity to accumulate wealth? This workshop will explore the drivers for change and explore alternatives that labor and management should be considering in response to changing global realities.

Moderator: James A. Auerbach
Panelists:
Ralph Craviso, Yale University
Susan J.Schurman, Rutgers University 
Ronald Blackwell, AFL-CIO

5.2—A New Progressive Era? The Influence of State and Local Initiatives on National Policy
America has a longstanding tradition of first developing and experimenting with workforce and related social policies at the state level and, once proven, moving them to the national level." During the first part of the 20th century--the so-called "Progressive Era"--states and localities experimented with unemployment compensation, job safety, minimum wage, and maximum hour legislation that moved to the national or federal level during the New Deal. In recent years, states and localities have once again been experimenting with policies dealing with the minimum wage, the so-called "living wage," health care, immigration, training, and other workplace matters. This session will, first, examine recent local and state initiatives on employment and labor relations and, second, explore the likelihood of these state and local initiatives leading to national level policies. 

Moderator: David Lipsky, Cornell University
Panelists:
Peter Levine, University of Maryland
Kala E. Ladenheim, Forum for State Health Policy Leadership, National Conference of State Legislatures
David Finegold, Rutgers University

5:00 p.m.—Reception

Friday, June 15, 2007

9:00-10:15 a.m.:  Opening Plenary— What Will the New American Dream Look Like?

Welcome and Moderator: Eileen B. Hoffman, FMCS and LERA President
Introduction of Featured Speaker: David Finegold, Rutgers University
Featured Speaker: Honorable Rush Holt, U.S. House of Representatives, 12th District, New Jersey (Invited)

10:30 a.m - Noon - Concurrent Sessions

7.1— Improving Work/Life Balance: Implications for Changes in Public Policy
To quote Carl Sandberg, "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let others spend it for you." having control over th e"coin of our lives" is an essential part of the American Dream. However, achieving work/life balance-control over the conditions of our workplace and feeling satisfied about the balance between our personal lives and occupations-can be difficult. Some people have too much work, many have too little income and not enough care-giving, virtually everyone suffers from a lack of gender equality, and the concept of leisure has almost been forgotten in the hectic lives we lead today. The new gender gap between mothers and others, and the widening income gap, as well as the problems faced by our aging workforce and population, make it clear why so many of us find it difficult to strike a balance in our lives. This session will explore many of these issues, including the need for national policies that support workplace flexibility.

Moderator: Debra Cohen, SHRM
Panelists:
Robert Drago, Pennsylvania State University
Chai Feldblum, Georgetown Law Center
Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Boston College

7.2—What is the Role for Employment-Based Health and retirement Benefits?
The share of compensation going to employee benefits increased substantially in the U.S. during the 20 th century, especially after WWII. However, beginning about 1990 or 1995 (depending on the type of benefit), employer expenditures on pensions and health care as a percentage of wages declined through 2000. (These measures will be updated for the workshop and data on employee expenditures will be added.) Moreover, in recent years the viability of the employment-based approach to benefits has been questioned. The session will examine the reasons for the growth of employee benefits during the 20 th century, the reasons for the decline in their importance in the last 15 years, the problems currently facing retirement and health care benefits provided through the workplace, and the prospects for strengthening, supplementing, and/or supplanting employment-based health and retirement benefits.

Moderator: Janice M. Gregory, Retirement Policy Consultant
Panelists:
Steve Guo and John Burton, Rutgers University—Employment-Based Health Care and Retirement Benefits Since WWII
Daniel J.B. Mitchell, UCLA—Employment-Based Health Care: The Current Situation and Options for the Future
Charles A. Jeszeck, U.S. Government Accountability Office—Employment-Based Retirement Benefits: The Current Situation and Options for the Future

7.3— High Road Competitive and Employment Strategies: Pathways to the American Dream-Part 2
Moderator: Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, University of Illinois
Panelists:
Financial Services and Banking: Chip Hunter, University of Wisconsin
General Manufacturing: Eileen Applebaum, Rutgers University
Trucking: Michael Belzer, Wayne State University
Utilities: Lester Lave, Carnegie Mellon University

Noon-1:30 p.m.: Lunch and Plenary Speaker– Sharing and Building the Dream

Welcome: Eileen B. Hoffman, FMCS and LERA President
Introduction of Featured Speaker: Honorary Co-chair Peter Hurtgen, Esq., Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Featured Speaker: Reg Weaver, President, National Education Association

1:45-3:15 p.m.—Concurrent Sessions

9.1—Working and Living Longer
Many people do not save enough for retirement as it is. With longer life expectancies, massive amounts of debt, slow income growth, fewer employers providing pensions, and reductions in Social Security benefits, employees face larger hurdles in the future to save enough for retirement. It is often argued that the solutions to the retirement crisis are not to retire, but to work longer.

This panel would consider alternatives to this proposal by investigating policy measures that could make it easier for people to prepare for retirement. The goal of this panel is it to move beyond the often overly simplistic argument of defined benefit vs. defined contribution plans and instead to find ways to maintain and grow both types of plans in the future. In doing so, the panel will discuss policy measures that have already been enacted and their likely effects as well as policy measures that should be considered by policy makers in the near term.

Moderator:
Bonnie Summers, BlueCross BlueShield Association
Panelists:
Sara Rix, AARP—Work Options for American Workers
Christian Weller, Center for American Progress—Retirement Income Security
Don Beck, FEP Clinical BCBS Association—The Affects of Today's Caregivers Within a Baby Boom Environment
Joseph Martocchio, Aparna Joshi, John Dencker, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—Intergenerational Conflict in the Workplace

9.2—The New American Workplace
The American workplace is at the core of the American Dream. Today, this workplace to being torn apart by familiar competing and contending forces, including globalization, eroding real wages, social conflicts, new technology and a broken social contract between employers and employees. In this complex and turbulent context there is cause for hope. Across the US economy there are countless cases of individuals, groups, organizations, and communities that reject failure as an option. Hope can be found in the way these leaders are pioneering new ways to avoid a "race to the bottom," forging high performance partnerships, interjecting core social values into social dialogue, identifying and addressing system barriers, and other related innovations and initiatives. At this session, each presenter will proved a 15 minute set of remarks centered on what they each see as hopeful dimensions of our complex workplaces. Then, a broader dialogue will be facilitated with all session participants with the aim of building a shared vision of the New American Workplace -- a vision centered on hope in face of so many sources of adversity and complication.

Moderator: Stephen R. Sleigh, The Yucaipa Companies
Panelists:
Jody Hoffer-Gittell, Brandeis University—Relationships as an Engine Driving Competitive Success: The Southwest Story
Kris Rondeau, Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW) —Enabling Community and a Living Wage in Front-Line Service Jobs
John Everman, FMCS —Learning About System Barriers When Listening to Employees
Harry Holzer, Georgetown University —Supplying a Diverse, Skilled Workforce to the New American Workplace: Policy Challenges and Opportunities

9.3 - Legislative View of the American Dream
Moderator: Magdalena Jacobsen, former chair and member of National Mediation Board and LERA Past President (invited)
Panelists:
Portia Wu, Chief Labor & Pensions Counsel to Senator Kennedy, Senate HELP Committee (majority)
Jim Paretti, Workforce Policy Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor (minority)

3:30-4:30 p.m. Wrap-up Plenary Session

Wrap-up Facilitator: TBA
Adjournment and thank you: Eileen B. Hoffman, FMCS and LERA President

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