New York, NY – The 42nd annual National Labor and Management Conference will be held from February 14 – 19 in Hollywood, Florida, bringing together hundreds of leaders in the fields of health care, labor law, banking and insurance, and labor among others.
The conference is designed to give speakers and attendees a chance to hear about issues and challenges facing management and workers and provide opportunities to network and strategize. Barbara McCabe, manager and director of the NLMC, spoke with LaborPress about the 2019’s focus – and gave a preview of what to expect from this year’s presenters.
“The NLMC audience is made up primarily of Taft-Hartley funds trustees and supporting staff members, whose main focus is to grow and protect health and welfare funds. We strive to provide information that is pertinent and actionable to these jobs,” said McCabe “giving unions something actionable they can take back to their desks” is key.
“We have some very high profile speakers this year, including Damon Silvers, Policy Director, AFL-CIO; Randi Weingarten, president, United Federation of Teachers; Chris Cain, director of Safety and Health & Chair, NABTU Opioid Task Force, North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU); Harold Schaitberger, general president, International Association of Firefighters; Bret Caldwell, special assistant to the General President and Director of Communications, International Brotherhood of Teamsters; John August, director, Healthcare Labor Relations, Cornell ILR, Becky Pringle, vice-president, National Education Association; and Terry O’Sullivan, general president, Laborers International Union of North America, among others.
“We will revisit the Janus ruling and examine the fallout that has occurred since and look forward at what to expect of the new Congress. While featuring impressive speakers on these topics, we look forward to hearing from our audience input as well,” said McCabe.
One issue that McCabe singles out for attention is the opioid epidemic. “We have several great presentations targeting the Opioid Epidemic, threatening both union members and healthcare funds. First, we will feature an update on the epidemic by Andy Johnson, Teamster Services Center, followed by The FAIR Health Group who will discuss their recent findings and interactive map analysis ‘The Opioid Epidemic: What It’s Costing Your Fund’ will be given by Robin Gelburd, President, FAIR Health and Andy Johnson, Teamster Services Center. “We have an analysis of the epidemic state-by-state, as it differs in each one and suggests where spending can be cut and funds used more effectively. The meeting will feature a keynote address: Report from NA Building Trades Task Force will be delivered by Chris Cain, CIH, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), director of Safety & Health. We will also look at addiction and how it affects unions in terms of health plan and employee management. We are going to look the problem straight in the eye.” “We are looking for ways to survive the epidemic. We will also hear from treatment centers and trends in rehab” adds McCabe.
Another focus will be pension investments. “What to do, how to keep those funds safe, especially critical in light of recent market adjustments” says McCabe.
On the final day of the conference, “We’ll be looking at how we can underscore our union message,” she says. “Many unions are not connecting with their members. People need a reason to connect with their unions.”
To learn more about the conference, and to register, go to http://www.laborandmanagement.com/.
