Our chapter was established in 1953 as the Detroit Area chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (then, the Industrial Relations Research Association) by a group of IR professionals and Wayne State University faculty members. Enthusiastic response soon led to a membership of 500 and regular monthly meetings, which continue today. We provide a forum for management, labor, academics and neutrals to explore issues of industrial relations and human resources. We encourage an atmosphere of cooperation and academic inquiry in exchanges among industrial relations practitioners with a goal of educating ourselves and others about the world of labor and employment relations.
Membership
Membership is open to anyone interested in or active in the field of labor-management relations. Our annual membership fee is $50. A lifetime membership option is available for $500. Please see the Paypal payment option on this website to join or renew your membership. Or, contact Mark Cousens, Secretary-Treasurer, to join at LERA@cousenslaw.com. Visitors always are welcome at our meetings.
Meeting Programs
Our regular annual calendar of meetings follows the academic year. We hold an annual membership meeting in September at UAW Local 155 in which attendees are granted the year’s membership free of charge. Our Detroit Chapter also hosts two main programs, generally during the evening, with a light dinner. Locations vary depending on the guest speakers, with the Westin Southfield being a frequent site. We hold these meetings, which offer interesting speakers addressing timely topics, in the fall and spring. In between our opening and closing meetings, we offer a series of breakfast meetings at Kerby’s Koney Island in Southfield. Breakfast attendees pay for their own breakfast, but there is no separate charge for the event. Our evening programs are typically priced at $25, with a $10 fee for students. Evening programs typically begin at 5:30pm with a networking period followed by the speaker at 6:30pm. We provide a light dinner and often a cash bar, depending on the location.
About LERA
The Labor and Employment Relations Association is a singular organization of professionals interested in industrial relations and human resources. If you are a professional or an academic in the field of industrial relations and human resources, we invite you to join the National LERA. The National LERA organization provides a network of IR and HR practitioners and academics who share their knowledge and insight through regular LERA publications and at LERA meetings twice a year. LERA was founded in 1947 as the IRRA (Industrial Relations Research Association) and today encompasses more than 4,000 members.