Your Labor Relations Bench Is Thinner Than You Think
LRI’s new Certificate in Applied Labor Relations puts HR and ER teams through live simulations, not lectures, to build bench strength before the next crisis hits.
Read MorePosted by Phillip Wilson | Aug 31, 2026 | Bargaining/Negotiations, Certification in Applied Labor Relations, labor relations, Labor Relations Ink, Labor Relations Insight, Leadership, LRI Institute, positive employee relations, Unionized Company
LRI’s new Certificate in Applied Labor Relations puts HR and ER teams through live simulations, not lectures, to build bench strength before the next crisis hits.
Read MorePosted by Michael VanDervort | Aug 26, 2026 | Bargaining/Negotiations, Collective Bargaining, IBT, Industry, Labor Relations Ink, Labor Relations Insight, Leadership, Legal, Manufacturing, News, Trending, Union Leaders, Unionized Company, Unions
Teamsters Local 455 rejected Cargill’s contract by 25 votes, then approved the same deal by 902 two weeks later. The difference wasn’t the offer, it was whether members understood it.
Read MorePosted by Michael VanDervort | Aug 17, 2026 | Bargaining/Negotiations, Fractional Labor Relations, Fractional LR, Frontline Supervisors, Labor Relations Ink, Labor Relations Insight, Leadership, Left of Boom Show, Podcast, Trending, Unionized Company
Union contracts don’t fall apart at the bargaining table. They erode one supervisor decision at a time, and fixing that starts long before the next negotiation.
Read MorePosted by Michael VanDervort | Aug 6, 2026 | Bargaining/Negotiations, Labor Relations Ink, Labor Relations Insight, Left of Boom Show, Legal, Managing During Status Quo Series: Bargaining for a First Contract, Next 52 Weeks, NLRB, status quo, Trending, Uncategorized, Unionized Company
Once a union is certified, employers owe a duty to bargain and can’t make unilateral changes, a status quo period most management teams are navigating for the first time.
Read MorePosted by Michael VanDervort | Jul 22, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence, Bargaining/Negotiations, Culture, Healthcare, Healthcare, IBT, Industry, Labor Relations Ink, Labor Relations Insight, Leadership, National Nurses United, Tech - Media, Transportation, Trending, Union Organizing, Unionized Company
Unions and AI: Trade unions are supporting AI work projects like data centers while nurses and entertainment unions push back. What employers need to know.
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