With so much uncertainty facing our workforce today, the Labor Studies Center’s mission of helping organized labor better represent the needs of workers has never been more relevant. The center is working actively to increase the effectiveness of unions while developing constructive labor-management relations.

“We’re trying to help people work together more effectively toward a common goal,” says Hal Stack, director. “The bottom line in improving these practices in these plants is preserving the jobs and keeping people working."

Funded by a grant from the State of Michigan, the center will assist six newly organized automotive supplier plants in developing constructive labor-management relations and improving plant productivity.

Together with Wayne State’s Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, the center will develop innovative computer-mediated training materials that will help union representatives and first-line supervisors administer collective bargaining agreements more effectively.