Labor-Management Cooperation

[Excerpt] In analyzing labor-management cooperation, it is important to be clear on what it is not. It is not an absence of strikes or conflict. Cooperation is not synonymous with industrial peace. Cooperation may take place even when bargaining leads to work stoppages; conversely, the mere absence of strikes is no evidence that there is labor-management cooperation. In the current period, there is a tendency to equate concessionary bargaining with labor-management cooperation. Demand for and acceptance of givebacks reflect economic pressures and relative bargaining strength and ought not to be interpreted as evidence of a cooperative relationship

Union-Management Cooperation: A Passing Fad or Permanent Change?

[Excerpt] Union-management cooperation is not a passing fad. It is not a new, or even a recent, development on the American labor relations scene. Nonetheless, interest in this subject has been growing. It is the purpose of this article, first, to clarify the meaning of union-management cooperation, indicating what it is and what it is not; second, to describe its history in the United States, going back to World War I; third, to explain the forces, both past and present, that have led to the development of union-management cooperation; fourth, to describe the various mechanisms employed to achieve this cooperation, including the levels of involvement and their scope; fifth, to set forth the necessary and sufficient conditions for successful union-management cooperation: and, finally, to discuss its future

Broadening the Mission: Research Activity among University Labor Education/Labor Studies Professionals

[Excerpt] This study examines research activity among university and college labor education/labor studies professionals. Using data gathered in a survey of faculty employed in the field, the paper presents information concerning the extent and focus of these research activities, the methodologies employed, the outlets for the research products that result, and the factors limiting such work. The findings of this study indicate that research, of both an applied and scholarly nature, is an increasingly significant part of the work of labor education/labor studies professionals. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications this trend has for the labor education/labor studies field, with special attention being given to the role research activity can play in meeting the needs of unions, union members, and union leaders

Labor Studies Credit and Degree Programs: A Growth Sector of Higher Education

[Excerpt] In a time of generally declining economic activity, labor studies for college credit is a flourishing enterprise. While college enrollments are dropping, budgets being cut back, and new or marginal programs disappearing, labor studies degree programs are expanding. Why? What accounts for this new movement in higher education

Trends in Selection and Training of International Union Staff: Implications for University and College Labor Education

[Excerpt] Reflecting increasing complexity of functions, American labor unions are turning to technically rained specialists for a variety of staff functions and giving increased support to education for staff. What are the implications for university and college labor education centers

Larry Rogin and Brendan Sexton: Labor Educators

[Excerpt] This volume came about because their friends and work mates in labor education wanted to do something to pay their respects to two giants in their field—Brendan Sexton and Larry Rogin, who died within a few weeks of each other in the Fall of 1987. Although impressive memorial services were held for Brendan in New York City and for Larry in Washington, D.C. at the AFL-CIO Building, we felt that they should be remembered to a wider audience. Hence, this volume

Assessing the Proposed IAM, UAW, and USW Merger: Critical Issues and Potential Outcomes

[Excerpt] We examine the many difficult issues facing the IAM, UAW, and USW as they move toward the creation of a single organization. In order to place this merger in con- text, the larger issue of mergers in the American labor movement will be addressed, as will the origins and history of each of the three unions. The specific issues confronting the unions will be examined in three categories — structure, administration, and functions and services. We conclude with an assessment of the current status of the unification effort and the prospects for its realization

Union Administrative Practices: A Comparative Analysis

In response to growing challenges, many labor organizations are reevaluating themselves in an effort to become more efficient and effective. Their efforts, however, are limited by their frames of reference. Seldom do unions compare practices across labor movements. To expand these frames of reference we compare union administrative practices in three countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Two specific areas of union administration are examined — human resource/personnel practices and strategic planning. Results from these countries are presented and analyzed to identify and explain similarities and differences

A New Isoform of the Histone Demethylase JMJD2A/KDM4A Is Required for Skeletal Muscle Differentiation

In proliferating myoblasts, muscle specific genes are silenced by epigenetic modifications at their promoters, including histone H3K9 methylation. Derepression of the promoter of the gene encoding the myogenic factor myogenin (Myog) is key for initiation of muscle differentiation. The mechanism of H3K9 demethylation at the Myog promoter is unclear, however. Here, we identify an isoform of the histone demethylase JMJD2A/KDM4A that lacks the N-terminal demethylase domain (ΔN-JMJD2A). The amount of ΔN-JMJD2A increases during differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes. Genome-wide expression profiling and exon-specific siRNA knockdown indicate that, in contrast to the full-length protein, ΔN-JMJD2A is necessary for myotube formation and muscle-specific gene expression. Moreover, ΔN-JMJD2A promotes MyoD-induced conversion of NIH3T3 cells into muscle cells. ChIP-on-chip analysis indicates that ΔN-JMJD2A binds to genes mainly involved in transcriptional control and that this binding is linked to gene activation. ΔN-JMJD2A is recruited to the Myog promoter at the onset of differentiation. This binding is essential to promote the demethylation of H3K9me2 and H3K9me3. We conclude that induction of the ΔN-JMJD2A isoform is crucial for muscle differentiation: by directing the removal of repressive chromatin marks at the Myog promoter, it promotes transcriptional activation of the Myog gene and thus contributes to initiation of muscle-specific gene expression

Long-Term Relationships between Synaptic Tenacity, Synaptic Remodeling, and Network Activity

Long term time-lapse imaging reveals that individual synapses undergo significant structural remodeling not only when driven by activity, but also when network activity is absent, raising questions about how reliably individual synapses maintain connections