Masonry Magazine August 1983 Page. 23
Theme Is Labor/Management Relations
IMI's 13th Annual Meeting Is Largest To Date
The largest number of participants ever to attend a meeting of the International Masonry Institute went to Boston in June for the Institute's 13th Annual Meeting, the first national gathering to cover all four IMI Programs- Labor/Management Relations, Research & Development, Apprenticeship & Training, and Market Development.
The comprehensive four-day program, June 5 to 8, included addresses by two former U.S. Secretaries of Labor, presentations on the research into masonry/metal stud wall systems, and a demonstration of the use of computers in all facets of masonry design, construction and marketing. Attending the meeting were 212 registrants and guests. Included were representatives of BAC local unions from throughout the U.S. and Canada, more than 30 union apprenticeship training organizations, and 32 local/regional labor/management masonry promotion groups.
Partnership/Progress
The theme of the opening session, introduced by MCAA president Donald O. Leonard, Jr. and BAC president John T. Joyce, was labor/management relations. The Hon. Ray Marshall, former Secretary of Labor, spoke on "Training a Skilled Workforce for Construction." He stressed the value of a joint labor/management approach in developing excellence in training, as well as in positively influencing public policy regarding collective bargaining in the construction industry.
John T. Dunlop, Ph.D., who has served as U.S. Secretary of Labor and who is the impartial member of IMI's Board of Trustees, spoke on "The Future of Labor/Management Relations in Construction." According to Dr. Dunlop, "Current labor law and the framework of labor/management relations in the U.S. are worse than at any point since World War II."
He said that for the construction industry to make maximum progress in the field of joint consultation, it is crucial for agreements between national leaders to be carried through at the local and regional levels, as well as on a day-to-day basis at the job site.
John Stepp, director of the Office of Labor/Management Relations, U.S. Department of Labor, traced the general development in labor/management relations and collective bargaining, and described today's "new creed" which includes an increased concern for quality on the part of both labor and management.