Joint Labor-Management Training. The Labor Studies Center has been involved in a number of efforts to assist unions and corporations in understanding new forms of joint labor-management work organization. Working with the UAW and General Motors, the Center has established a joint education-development program to meet the challenges facing both labor and management in the U.S. automobile industry. With both a local and a national component, this innovative program is intended to provide a basis of knowledge to guide management and union leaders in joint decision making. A similar effort is the UAW-Ford Powertrain project, training employee resource coordinators in how to identify and secure training resources for employee development. Both union and management are cooperating in this endeavor. The Labor Studies Center is also working with other companies on developing a team-based form of work organization to improve quality and productivity.

Training for Union Participation and Governance. In addition to its extensive involvement with joint training, the Labor Studies Center also continues to provide training for union members in areas such as negotiations and grievance handling. The Center's leadership workshops, designed for union leaders and members, use a participatory approach to examining such issues as effective public speaking, union roles in the team concept, internal and external organizing, and a variety of other leadership tools. Another annual program is the Stewards' and Committeepersons' Institute, which offers basic and advanced training for union stewards and committeepersons as well as general sessions on topics such as occupational health and safety, labor law, and workers' compensation.

Focus on Minorities and Women in the Workforce. For many years, the Labor Studies Center has hosted conferences and workshops aimed at helping minorities and women advance in the workplace through skill-building and community-building, with emphasis on labor activism. The Center's annual Summer School for Women Workers has been in existence for over twenty years. The Black Men in Unions Institute is in its eleventh year, and a Hispanic Workers Leadership Institute has recently been initiated. In addition to offering courses related to union activities such as grievance handling and techniques of organizing and bargaining, these programs also promote political and cultural awareness.

Health and Safety Training. Working together with the UAW, the Labor Studies Center has developed educational materials to promote good health and safety practices. Jointly with the School of Public Health, the Labor Studies Center developed and implemented extensive "train-the-trainer" programs for the UAW on a project funded by the Department of Labor. The Center also offers a Health and Safety Institute for Workers which includes a wide range of topics relating to health and safety in the workplace: MIOSHA procedures and appeals, infectious diseases, investigating hazards, ergonomics, conflict resolution and stress management, women's health and safety issues, and various aspects of union involvement in health and safety issues such as joint programs with management, mobilizing the membership, and contract language.