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Conference tackles changing labor market
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| Submitted photo -- The Labor Management Committee Southwestern Illinois presented ConocoPhillips and the union leaders at Wood River Refinery with the 2007 Weier Award Thursday in Collinsville. From left are Herb Johnson of the Missouri AFL-CIO, Michael Carrigan of the Illinois AFL-CIO, Rick Schwarz of ConocoPhillips, Tom Declue III of GRP Mechanical Inc.; Mike Huntsman of ConocoPhillips, Mike Toner of Pipefitters Local 553, Jay Hawley of ConocoPhillips, Kevin Hamilton of Carpenters Local 377, Chuck Brodie of Washington Group International, Jack Tueth of IBEW Local 649, John Passiglia of Boilermakers Local 363 and Dale Stewart of the Southwest Illinois Building Trades Council. |
The evolving role of the regional labor market was the subject of a packed, two-day conference recently at the Gateway Center in Collinsville.
Held by the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois' Gateway Labor Management Committee, "Workforce 2012: Are We Ready?" included panel discussions, award presentations and a lineup of workshops focusing on how the local jobs market will handle a swiftly changing area economy.
"It's a goal, a mission of the Labor Management Committee to help the community and provide education," said Dr. Marv Finkelstein, a sociology professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville who heads the committee.
He said the business climate has shifted so significantly in recent years that the region's workers are struggling to keep up. More technologically advanced jobs require more education and better programs, he said.
"This is a national problem," he said. "But there are huge projects here."
That's where conferences such as the one held in Collinsville Thursday and Friday play a vital role, he said.
"We're bringing together different parts of the community," he said.
The event included a wide variety of lectures from leaders in management, labor, government and education, including Deputy Director of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Scot L. Beckenbaugh, United Way Vice President of Research Russ Signorino, and Southern Illinois University President Glen Poshard.
Workshops dealt with employee development programs and handling grievances.
Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois also presented ConocoPhillips and unions at Wood River Refinery with the 2007 Weier Award, which recognizes efforts to improve relationships between unions and management.
Workforce consultant Gordon Graham on Friday also presented seminars on navigating changing business climates.
Graham, who laced his seminar with folksy anecdotes, told the group the biggest challenge for employers and workers is to maintain quality and integrity in the workplace.
Too often that doesn't happen, he said, sending a business into a tailspin.
"A human being can gradually, incrementally get used to almost anything," he said. "You can get used to being lazy. You can get used to not respecting and not being respected. And you, when you get used to it, you don't even see it anymore."
Finkelstein said Friday about 150 people attended the event, the fourth year it has been held.
E-mail: ccoates@yourjournal.com
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