Professor McIntyre to hold forum on the Economic Crisis

Professor of Economics, Honors Program Director, SLRC faculty member, and author, Ric McIntyre will address a series of questions and discuss current initiatives in national and transnational labor organizing. Come to listen, debate, and strategize for greater participation of employees in the 21^st century workplace.

The Economic Crisis, Policy Response, and Opportunities for Organizing

• Are decades of regressive economic policies to blame for the current economic crisis?
  
• Does the policy response to the crisis adequately address the conditions that caused it?
  
• Can the Employee-Free Choice Act reverse the decades-long trend of wage stagnation in the U.S.?

Monday, December 7, 2009 from 4-6 PM
Lippitt Hall, Room 402

This event is sponsored by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and Graduate Assistants United (GAU)

Professor Molloy receives book award

Professor Scott Molloy was the awarded Honorable Mention for the 2008 New England Historical Association's Book Award for his book, Irish Titans, Irish Toilers: Joseph Banigan and Nineteenth Century New England Labor.

Congratulations Scott

SLRC is awarded SHRM Certification

We have just been informed that the MS in Labor Relations and Human Resources curriculum has been certified by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as being aligned with their graduate degree standards.

URI was one of only 44 master's program in the world and one of only two in New England to earn accreditation from the world's largest association for human resource management. URI is the only public college or university in New England to earn the designation.

Accreditation means that the University's master's program fully aligns with the society's curriculum guides established in 2005.

"As an accredited school, the University of Rhode Island bears the well-earned hallmark that accompanies rigorous accreditation standards," said Debra J. Cohen, chief knowledge officer of the Society for Human Resource Management in a letter to the University. "We hope . . . that future students will not only recognize your university because of the quality and thoroughness of its HR degree program, but will potentially seek more information about becoming a degree candidate at your University."

Nasser Zawia, dean of URI's graduate school, said, "This is another example of the excellent graduate programs at URI that have received national and international recognition. I would like to congratulate the faculty and students in Labor Relations-Human Resources for their stellar performance." 

Richard W. Scholl, professor and director of the Schmidt Labor Research Center, said more and more firms and organizations realize their workers are what give them a competitive advantage.
"Solid human resources management addresses the question, "What kind of people do we hire and how do we keep them committed once they are here'?" Scholl said.

One of the major steps taken by the program was the hiring of Assistant Professor Anthony Wheeler, a human resources specialist. Cooperation between Scholl and College of Business Administration Dean Mark Higgins led to a joint appointment for Wheeler.

Education in human resources management includes the typical transactional functions—payroll and benefits management and compliance—following local, federal and state laws, including fair employment and labor laws. But it also includes performance management— linking employee benefits to the competitive interests of the company; and organizational change—including change management, preparation for a major strategic shift.

Wheeler said leading human resources management theory says, "Employees should be part of the strategy. Many companies think they can solve problems simply by spending money, but not paying attention to employee issues like high turnover is like committing business suicide. Studies show that managers spend 80 percent of their day managing people.

"What this certification says to students is that the education they receive at URI gives them the human resources skills and knowledge that they should possess as human resources professionals."

In addition to Scholl and Wheeler, other faculty members involved in the program are: Mathew M. Bodah, associate professor of labor relations; Scott Molloy, professor of labor relations; Amy Tabor, assistant professor of labor relations; Richard McIntyre, professor of economics and director of the URI Honors Program; Larry Rothstein, professor of political science; Marshall Feldman, associate professor of community planning;  Mark Grossman, assistant professor of labor relations and adjunct faculty members Suzanne Taylor, John Turano, and Virginia Law.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) represents more than 250,000 members in more than 140 countries. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India.See the above SHRM link or see the 
List of University HR Programs that Align with SHRM's Guides.

To see the full certification letter click here

Dr. Barbara Silver Appointed as SLRC Research Coordinator

Dr. Barbara Silver has joined the SLRC faculty as the Center's Research Coordinator.  Barb earned a doctorate in Experimental Psychology in 1999 from URI.  She has spent the last five years directing the highly successful URI Advance Project. The Advance Project at the University of Rhode Island was a 5-year program funded by the National Science Foundation designed to improve and enrich the scientific, technology, engineering, and mathematic academic workforce at URI through the increased representation and participation of women faculty.

In her role as SLRC Research Coordinator, she will work with agencies and businesses to secure funding for the Center's research initiatives.  Her primary focus over the next year will be to develop funding sources and coordinate our faculty in researching the topic of Work/Life Balance.  We want to take a very integrative approach to this topic by bringing together the work done in this area in the disciplines of economics, sociology, psychology, organizational behavior, human resources and labor relations.

She has settled into her new office in Hart House, so if you are in the area, please stop by to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Center

Acclaimed American Professor to speak at Carrickmacross Workhouse

This was the headline of the September 3, 2009 edition of the Northern Standard of county Monaghan, Ireland. The article goes on to describe Professor Molloy's presentation of his book, Irish Titans, Irish Toilers: Joseph Banigan and Nineteenth-Century New England Labor. Banigan family emigrated from County Monagan to Rhode Island in 1847 where Banigan, after being schooled for only a year, started working in a screw factory. Scott told the rags-to-riches story of Joseph Banigan's rise to become the first president of the United States Rubber Company and the first Irish-Catholic millionaire in the state.

Chick here to see the entire article

Professor Bodah named Chair of Economics Department

The Provost has appointed Professor Matt Bodah for a 3 year term as chair of the Economics Department. Matt will remain attached to the SLRC and continue to teach his courses through us.  He will also remain as our research director.

I wish Matt all the best with his new challenge. Dean Brownell continues to tell me that everyone in Arts & Sciences is very excited about Matt's appointment

Professor Molloy inducted into the R.I. Heritage Hall of Fame

On May 2, 2009, Professor Scott Molloy was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.  The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was founded in March 1965 to honor the contributions of those whose efforts, in any line of endeavor, have added significantly to the heritage of the State of Rhode Island.
In addition to Scott, there were 8 other inductees.  All together they were quite an impressive group.  Of course, Scott made by far the most impassioned acceptance speech.

His nomination citied many of Scott's accomplishments including his many scholarly contributions including his books, Trolley Wars: Streetcar workers on the Line and Irish Titan, Irish Toilers: Joseph Banigan and Nineteenth-Century New England Labor; his donation of over 10,000 items of labor memorabilia to the Smithsonian Institute; his role as founding president of the R.I. Labor History Society in 1999; his award for URI Teacher of the Year in 1996; the Carnegie Foundation's Professor of the Year in 2005; and his role in building the Irish Famine Memorial. The final paragraph of his citation reads,

"Truly it can be said of Scott Molloy that is trip from bus driver and union official to labor history professor (from the front of the buss to the front of the class) has been a joyous and productive excursion for him and for all who value the rights of labor and those who cherish their Irish heritage."

This was a great opportunity for Scott to shine, as he was joined by many SLRC faculty members, alumni and current students.

This is quite a big honor- Congratulations Scott

Chick here for more information on the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame

Professor McIntyre speaks on the ILO & human rights

Professor McIntyre was a member of a panel honoring the 90^th anniversary of the founding of the International Labor Organization, co-sponsored by the International Labor and Working-Class History Journal and the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University. The panel was titled, Global Labor Standards as Human Rights: The Past, Present, and Future of the International Labor Organization.

The panelist included:

• Jason Guthrie, University of Maryland: David Morse and the Effort to Remake the International Labor Organization in the Post-WWI Era
• Leah Vosko, York University: Managing the Margins: The ILO and the Challenges of Regulating Precarious Employment
  
• Richard McIntyre, University of Rhode Island: The ILO and the International Economic Order after Global Neo-Liberalism
  
• Sally P. Paxton, former Executive Director of Social Dialogue, ILO and Deputy Solicitor of Labor during the Clinton administration: ILO Labor Standards: Moving from the Theoretical to the Practical
  

The panel was held on September 24, 2009 at Rutgers University.