January 3-5, 2010, Atlanta, GA – Hold the date!

To be held in conjunction with the LERA 62nd Annual Meeting

Details TBA

June 11-12, 2009, Washington, DC – Hold the date!

George Washington University, Cafritz Center

To be held in conjunction with the LERA National Policy Forum

Details TBA

Wednesday, August 16, 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Hyatt Regency, Chicago, Illinois
Held in conjunction with the FMCS National Labor Management Conference

“The Evolution in Airline Employee Relations”

Low-cost competition is transforming the airline industry in the United States and around the globe. This session explored the strategies that different airlines are using to achieve low costs, and the implications for employee well-being and employment relations, drawing upon low-cost airline experiences in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. A strategic overview of challenges in the airline industry was also be provided.

Presenters:

Thomas Kochan, George Bunker Professor, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA
Phillip Beaumont, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland

January 7, 2007, Hilton Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
Held in conjunction with the 59th Annual Meeting of LERA

“Conflict and Cooperation in Employment Relations as the Airline Industry Restructures: International Perspectives, Comparisons and Futures” (Symposium)

Chair: Robert B. McKersie , Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Presenters:

• Jody Hoffer Gittell, Brandeis University; Greg J. Bamber, Griffith University; and Judy Pate, University of Glasgow – Competition in the Global Airline Industry: “High-Road” versus “Low-Road” Strategies by Low-Cost Carriers and Legacy Carriers
• Andrew von Nordenflycht, Simon Fraser University; Russell D. Lansbury and Sarah Oxenbridge, University of Sydney; Joe Wallace, Siobhan Tiernan and Lorraine White, University of Limerick – The Restructuring of Employment Relationships at Legacy Airlines: International Comparisons
• Thomas A. Kochan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Phil Beaumont, University of Glasgow; and Peter Turnbull, Cardiff University – Blending Old and New: How Low-Cost and Legacy Carriers are Shaping the Airline Industry

Discussants: Jerrold Glass , F&H Solutions Group; Patricia Friend , Association of Flight Attendants

Saturday, January 5, 2008, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
InterContinental Hotel, Fulton Room
Held in conjunction with the LERA 60th Annual Meeting, January 3-6, 2008, in New Orleans, LA

2:30-2:45 Welcome, Update and Overview of Airline Industry Council

2:45-3:45 “Up in the Air: Can an Industry Compete on Costs Without Destroying Its Workforce? An International Study of the Changing Airline Industry”
–Presentation of findings from a draft manuscript
–Presenters: Thomas Kochan, Greg Bamber, Jody Hoffer Gittell, Andrew Von Nordenflycht

3:45-4:15 Next Steps for the Airline Industry Council

4:15-4:30 Nomination of New Co-Chairs for the Airline Industry Council

Rosen Presentation — Airline Mergers, June 05 (web presentation)
Rosen Presentation — Airline Mergers, June 05 (PowerPoint file for download)
Comstock Paper — Work Related Views, June 05 (pdf version)

The LERA Airline Industry Council met in Washington D.C. on June 16, 2005 in conjunction with LERA’s National Policy Forum. The above links are to two documents by Phil Comstock and Seth Rosen and summarize the two topics we discussed.

Seth Rosen outlined the workforce issues that need to be addressed when airlines consolidate or merge operations. Clearly this is a topic of current importance, given pending discussions of merger between US Airways and America West, and the strong likelihood that more consolidations will be occurring in the years ahead. Seth’s memo provides a handy guide to all who are involved in these processes. You can view a web presentation using MS Explorer or it can be downloaded to view in PowerPoint.

Phil Comstock’s paper “Work Related Views of Flight Attendants and Pilots Since 9/11″ presents a sobering picture of the contemporary views of employees in the industry. The paper is based on extensive survey data from these two employee groups. Comstock describes an angry and frustrated workforce that has little or no confidence in industry management. These data reinforce a central conclusion of our own research: Economic recovery of the airline industry will not be possible unless all parties begin addressing the deep-seated problems in the industry’s employee and labor relations system.

Anyone who has an interest in or responsible position in the industry should read this paper.

Our Council plans to work toward a white paper on options for addressing the issues raised in these two reports. We invite management, union, and government leaders in the industry to add their perspective and experience to the paper. We welcome comments and reactions to these documents and to our work to date.

—The LERA Airline Industry Council Co-Chairs