004 TENN. LABOR-MANAGEMENT CONF. CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

TENNESSEE LABOR-MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Conference is set for August 15-17 in Nashville

July 11, 2007
CONTACT: Catherine Sutton, 615-895-4166

MURFREESBORO—Labor and management is celebrating “20 years of listening, learning and leading in collaboration” this year at the Tennessee Labor-Management Conference, Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 15 – 17. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Music City Hotel (777 McGavock Pike) in Nashville and is expected to draw more than 500 attendees.
Professionals in labor relations, human resources and organized labor, as well as attorneys, mediators and arbitrators and those in academia may register online at www.tnlabormgmt.org or call 615-895-4166. A special conference rate for interested college students also is available.
The conference will kick off with the traditional prayer brunch led by Rev. Becca Stephens. Program highlights will include a discussion of trends in the National Labor Relations Board decisions, moderated by Harold J. Datz, senior attorney, and a peek into the future with futurist Ed Barlow.
“Labor-Management participants at the August conference will have the opportunity to discuss possible solutions to problems in the health-care, pension and other workplace areas,” said Dr. Barbara Haskew, director of the MTSU-headquartered Tennessee Center for Labor-Management Relations and professor of economics at Middle Tennessee State University, “The focus on joint problem-solving and working together makes this labor-management conference unique and generates excitement about the outcomes that such collaborations can produce.”
Concurrent workshops from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. will address advanced negotiations, developing talent pools, how to prevent violence in the workplace and the legal matrix of the injured workers. After a short break, workshops from 3:55 to 5:10 p.m. will include safety in the workplace, mediated by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Association, apprenticeship programs and innovation at work.
During the TLMC banquet, which starts at 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, winners of the $2,000 Tennessee Labor-Management Scholarships will be announced, followed by a scholarship auction at 8:30 p.m. The scholarships encourage college students who are legal residents of Tennessee to remain in the state following their graduation—and to continue their pursuit of a career in labor relations.
On Thursday, Aug. 16, at 1:30 p.m., following a morning golf outing, futurist Ed Barlow will present a dynamic approach to anticipating and preparing for what’s ahead. The popular Arbitrators Panel at 3:15 p.m. will be moderated by Haskew and will address new directions in arbitration.
The 2007 conference officers will be installed Friday morning.
At considerable savings, early-bird registration for individuals will be available until August 10, early registration for parties of five people or more will be accepted up to Aug. 1. For hotel and registration information, visit the aforementioned conference Web site.
The statewide conference is sponsored by the nonprofit corporation, the Tennessee Labor-Management Conference, co-sponsored by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, and facilitated by the TCLMR.
The TNCLMR is a consortium of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, MTSU and the Tennessee Board of Regents. It was enacted by legislation in 1977 and is associated with MTSU through a contractual agreement. Its primary purpose is to develop and deliver educational services to labor and management throughout Tennessee.


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