Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

In February 1983, the American Arbitration Association (AAA) Labor-Management Committee began a series of meetings in Washington, D.C., to discuss labor-management cooperation and worker participation programs as a means of improving productivity, organizational effectiveness, and the quality of working life. The Committee, with a grant from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), set out to discuss issues affecting managers and labor leaders who may be considering participation in joint labor-management programs, focusing on labormanagement committees (LMCs) at the work site. These committees can contribute to improvements within private and public sector organizations and are "the backbone of success" for area, company, or industry committees.

The AAA Committee wanted to show how to achieve practical results at the workplace. Its members recognized, however, that the variety of labor-management relationships in the United States precludes a step-by-step approach. No single formula for success could be set down. Rather, they said, their Committee should establish general considerations for promoting and developing joint labor-management programs in unionized environments.

To gain greater insight into how these programs operate, the AAA Committee first funded two local labor-management projects to track their development. Both projects involve public and private sector union and management participants. In Memphis, Tennessee, there is a communitywide labor-management committee; in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, two committees are operating under the sponsorship of the Greater Pittsburgh Area Labor-Management Committee. These are the Job Recovery Program of Western Pennsylvania (involving the Constructors Association and six craft unions) and the LMC formed by the City of Pittsburgh and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).