LERA’s Anniversary: An Opportunity to Reconnect with Our Roots

Abstract

In preparing to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), I recently read the first Industrial Relations Research Association (IRRA) presidential address, the 1948 speech of Edwin E. Witte, who was then chairman of the economics department at the University of Wisconsin. Since LERA members have been thinking a lot lately about their association’s current state and future plans, my reading of Witte’s remarks prompted a reflection on the contributions of pioneers in the field of industrial relations (IR) and a search for insights that might  provide guidance for the years ahead. What I found bolstered my faith in the mission of IR and led me to conclude that LERA’s diamond anniversary provides the perfect opportunity for us to reconnect with the roots of the organization.