The author proposes a new Jobs Compact to close the nation’s jobs deficit, to create sufficient high-quality jobs to raise wages and end thirty years of wage stagnation, and to update and strengthen labor and employment policies. A set of market and institutional failures are identified as...

Examining data from two national surveys of matched pairs of union and management lead negotiators, the authors evaluate the current state of practice in labor relations and test several propositions related to the transformation of American industrial relations. They find that 30-40% of the...

We examine competing theoretical arguments regarding whether union representation, shared governance, wage levels and two features of the quality of labor relations - workplace culture and conflict in negotiations - lead to better or worse outcomes for airlines and test them with a mix of...

This article discusses why it is difficult to measure the effects of management practices on organizational performance. In spite of these difficulties, a collage of evidence suggests that innovative workplace practices can increase performance, primarily through the use of systems of related...

This article reviews work and employment research, paying particular attention to theory and applications by scholars in organizational psychology and organizational behavior (OP/OB) and employment or industrial relations (ER), with the objective of better understanding employee and...

The Massachusetts economy, workforce, and families have all undergone substantial changes over the past two decades. This paper, focusing on the labor market pressures facing families, employers, and their communities, summarizes these trends and their interconnections. The data presented in...

This working paper synthesizes critical problems identified by interviews with more than 40 leaders in the Boston area health care industry and places them in the context of work and family issues. At present, the defining circumstance for the health care industry nationally as well as...

A teaching case on the reality of part time policies for associates and partners in law firms. This case shows that formal policies have failed to overcome the informal norms or culture that penalized professionals for deviating from what was engrained in the minds of senior partners and others...

When both an industry's workers and its customers report high and rising frustration with the way they are being treated, something is fundamentally wrong. In response to these conditions, many of the world's airlines have made ever-deeper cuts in services and their workforces. Is it too much to...

Key features of the employment relationship need to be better incorporated into human capital theory and policy. Moreover, significant changes in the assumptions and practices embedded in employment systems will be required if human capital is to serve as an economy’s predominant source of...