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2006 Melvin Lurie Award CeremonyOn October 9, 2006, in a ceremony held at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), two prizes were given to honor the founder of the Masters in Industrial and Labor Relations (now MHRLR) program, the late Professor Melvin Lurie of the UWM Economics Department;
Christopher Morris received the Melvin Lurie Memorial Prize. The prize is given to an outstanding student or recent alumnus of the Masters in Human Resources and Labor Relations (MHRLR) Program. The Bucyrus International and United Sttel Workers Local 1343 received the 9th Melvin Lurie Labor-Management Cooperation prize. In the years prior to the recent contract, Bucyrus, a leading manufacturer of mining equipment with roots to the 1800s, decided it needed to expand capacity to keep up with anticipated growth. Relations at that time included a rejected tentative agreement and a contract that made local expansion unlikely. While Bucyrus suggested they had no plans to close the South Milwaukee facility, the question was where the new capacity would be located. The Steelworkers, an organization with its own long, proud history, welcomed the opportunity to help decide the site of the future expansion. A new contract was worked upon and approved. Within a matter of weeks Bucyrus announced its decision to expand its Milwaukee area operations rather than opening a plant elsewhere. The decision was slated to create 100 jobs in the first year, many with high pay and excellent benefits. Facilities in South Milwaukee were improved and operations expanded into the then vacant Metso Minerals plant on Chase Avenue. The partners settled upon a contract that brings family supporting jobs to Milwaukee. Mayor Tom Barrett was quick to applaud the actions, actions that were supported by the Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation. Now the largest challenge appears to be finding a sufficient number of trained welders! Director John Heywood says "it is all too easy to overlook the many incremental successes that long-time bargaining partners make toward cooperation. This award gives us a chance to recognize the substantial success of two such partners." For further information about the ceremony or the MHRLR program, please contact Susan Donohue Davies either by email suedono@uwm.edu or by phone (414) 229-4009. |
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