Labor conference held in D.C.

The future of labor unions was the topic of an international conference sponsored by the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources during April. Held in Washington, D.C., at the Washington Court Hotel, the conference was entitled “The Future of Organized Labor: Restoring the Balance in a Time of Growing Inequality.”

An invitation-only event, the conference was described as a “timely discussion on the role of labor unions in the modern social and economic climate.” Among the participants were former U.S. Labor Secretaries Bill Brock and Ray Marshall.

The 50 academics and practitioners who participated in the conference reflected the diverse views that exist on economic, political, and labor relations, as well as the roles of the unions in contemporary society.

LBJ School Professor Ray Marshall, who holds the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair in Economics and Public Affairs at UT Austin, and Peter Hurtgen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, gave keynote talks during the event. Marshall Center Director Christopher T. King was a commentator on a panel examining labor relations and labor law.

Topics included the state of U.S. and Canadian unions; the similarities and differences among unions in various countries; the economic impact of unions; the promotion of free and democratic trade unions; the public policy, political, labor relations, and business implications of the current state of the unions; and the impact of globalization and immigration on union growth.

UT Law School Professor Jack Getman, who was one of the conference’s presenters, and Ray Marshall will edit a volume containing selected papers presented at the conference.

Record Home • Publications • LBJ School
May 5, 2003
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