New York: Long Island

Welcome to the Web site of the Long Island Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association!  

The Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) is an international organization whose overall purpose is to foster and promote communications among labor relations professionals. The Long Island Chapter of LERA was founded in 1979 to enable people in the field of industrial relations to become better acquainted, to keep abreast of practices and new developments and to exchange ideas. At its inception our Long Island Chapter adopted a policy of promoting an ongoing dialogue between all interested parties in the industrial relations community. We are pledged to continue that policy at the lowest possible cost to our members. Our research indicates that these policies have allowed us to develop into one of the largest and most active memberships of any chapter of LERA. The dedication, participation and guidance of our membership have made this organization the overwhelming success it is.  

WHO BELONGS TO LERA?  

Membership is open to anyone interested in the field of labor relations. The membership of this Chapter includes men and women from management, unions, government and academic institutions as well as those in arbitration, law, consulting, administration, personnel and other related fields.  

BENEFITS TO YOU  

• Quarterly Meetings: Besides the opportunity to exchange ideas and mix with colleagues, our quarterly meetings include a guest speaker who gives a presentation on items of interest to those in the field of labor relations.The cost of these dinner meetings is generally $35 for members and $40 for non-members They are held at locations in Nassau and Suffolk Counties that are easily accessible to members in both counties.  
• Quarterly Newsletter: Our Chapter's Newsletter is mailed quarterly to each member's office or home and includes articles of interest on the latest developments in the field of industrial relations and listings of seminars and educational programs being offered by leading institutions or professional groups.  
• Membership Directory: As a member of the Chapter, your name, occupation and address will be listed in our Membership Directory. This directory is used by members to keep in contact with one another in order to exchange ideas and keep up to date with new approaches to on-the-job problems. Our directory is considered by some as the "Who's Who" of professionals in industrial relations on Long Island.  
• Membership Certificate: The Long Island Chapter issues a Certificate of Membership to each person upon joining. It is suitable for framing and display in your office or home. This certificate has your name on it along with the signature of our president and our Chapter's Seal.  
• Yearly Conference: Once a year the Long Island Chapter presents a conference on important and current issues facing those involved in labor relations. Speakers and panelists are renown in their professions and each segment is moderated by one of our members.  

As noted above, our parent organization was founded in 1948 as the Industrial Relations Research Association and has been promoting the values that have guided the members of the profession for more than half a century. The name of the organization was changed at the Annual Meeting in January 2005 to reflect the changes that have taken place in the field. But the purposes of the Association were not changed and are listed in the national constitution which is available on this web site.  

SCHOLARSHIP FUND  

Each year the Long Island Chapter awards several scholarships to outstanding students selected from each of the labor and industrial relations programs offered at a Long Island college or university. Besides the scholarship money, each student winning the Award is given an award certificate and one year free membership in our Chapter.

The 227-member chapter is holding an annual Spring Conference on May 7, 2010, at the de Seversky Center in Brookville, Long Island . The chapter awards $250 scholarships to students who are in ILR programs at colleges on Long Island , and who are nominated by their schools—Cornell ILR, SUNY-Old Westbury, New York Institute of Technology and Hofstra participate. Dues are $40 regular, $10 students, $230 organizational. Affiliated with the National IRRA 1979.