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Unions and Workforce Development: An International Perspective A Seminar Cosponsored by Washington Court Hotel 525 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Background: In every advanced economy, union workers and their employers are up against new forms of competition. Globalization, new technologies, the deregulation of major industries, and the privatization of public services – all are changing how workers do their jobs and how unions and employers relate to each other. Workers are well aware that their job security is tied to their company’s competitiveness in the global marketplace, and to their own productivity within the company. In addition to protecting their members' wages and working conditions, unions are being asked to help members maintain their "employability" and to appeal to the new kinds of workers that the "new economy" is creating. In response to these challenges, a growing number of unions – often in partnership with their employers – are creating, expanding, or modernizing training programs for workers. The goals: To help workers learn new skills, improve the quality of their products and services, increase their own employability, and enhance the competitiveness of the companies and other institutions where they work. The Albert Shanker Institute recently commissioned a national opinion survey of four key professional groups in the U.S. – teachers, nurses, engineers, and information technology professionals (see Finding Their Voices: Professionals and Workplace Representation). The survey, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, found that while only 23 percent of professionals have some form of representation in the workplace, fully 55 percent would approve the establishment of an employee organization. They have clear preferences, however, about the kind of organization they want. It must be one that resists what is perceived to be the "deprofessionalization" of many once-respected occupations. It must seek a true "partnership" with employers. And, perhaps most interesting for this seminar, it must provide support for professional growth and training. In fact, while 58 percent of those surveyed desired representation that would improve their salaries, and even higher proportion, 63 percent, sought improved training opportunities. While different countries have different economic conditions, political situations, and labor-management relationships, unions in every advanced economy have a great deal in common. They can learn from one another’s efforts. In the global marketplace policies and programs undertaken by one country will have great relevance for workers in other countries. The Albert Shanker Institute and the New Economy Information Service are co-sponsoring this
seminar on workforce development to provide union activists from North America and Western
Europe a comparative perspective on:
Click here to see a copy of the agenda.
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