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Labor-Management Initiative Conference

The LMI Conference focuses on the importance and value of using the labor-management process and offers networking among fire chiefs and union leaders. Attendees gain skills to successfully impact their leadership teams through:

• Improved labor-management relations
• Increased trust between fire chiefs and union presidents
• Improved interpersonal communications between labor and management

2011 LMI Conference Recap

Print your 2011 certificate of attendance

Educational Session Handouts

Opening General Session
Join us for the opening general session of the LMI Conference. During the opening ceremony, Mark Light, IAFC CEO/Executive Director, and Harold A. Schaitberger, IAFF General President, will welcome the conference attendees and share their thoughts on current labor-management issues.
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Elections and a Preview of the 112th Congress
This session will provide an analysis of the 2010 mid-term elections. It will also provide a summary of the 111th Congress and offer an outlook into the 112th Congress evaluating how the mid-term election will impact the fire and emergency service.
Kevin O'Connor, Assistant to the General President for Governmental and Public Affairs, IAFF
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The Road to Good Labor Management Relations
This session addresses the qualities and processes that good labor-management relationships have and how they prove to be cost effective, conflict resolution techniques that have been used successfully to start and sustain good labor-management relationships, and labor-management committees. The resources of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) will also be introduced.
Dennis Teel, Commissioner, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
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Impacts of the Recession
When times are good, financial support for the fire department is usually high. When the economy falters,, states and local communities are forced to make tough budget choices. It is during these difficult times that labor-management cooperation and collaboration are most important. This session will cover mergers/consolidations and pensions, both of which have been affected greatly by the struggling economy.
Moderator: TBD. Panelists: Jeff Johnson, Ret Chief, Tualatin Valley (OR) Fire & Rescue; Hank Kim, Esq., Executive Director and Counsel, National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems
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Boosting the Effectiveness of Your Strategic Plan
Although the strategic planning process can be tedious, working together to develop, articulate and communicate fire department goals is important so that both labor and management move ahead in the same direction. This session offers several innovative ideas for making the planning process and the plan implementation more effective for all parties involved.
Kelly Fox, President, Washington State Council of Fire Fighters; Adam Thiel, Fire Chief, Alexandria (VA) Fire Department
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General Session
An economist from Arizona State University will provide attendees with an update on the economy and forecast for the future, with an emphasis on the recession's effects on local governments.
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Fire Fighter Health and Safety: The Issues, the Culture, and the Labor-Management Connection
The health and safety of fire fighters is a critical responsibility of both labor and management and can serve as a catalyst for strengthening their overall relationship. This session will explore current issues in fire fighter health and safety, the impact that fire service culture can play in the implementation of health and safety initiatives, and the effect that positive labor-management relations can have on the success of health and safety efforts.
Moderator: Dennis Compton, Chair, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Panelists: Rich Duffy, Assistant to the General President for Health and Safety, IAFF; Lori Moore-Merrell, Assistant to the General President for Member Services, Technical Assistance & Information Resources, IAFF
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Case Studies: Labor-Management in the Real World
This session will identify examples where labor-management cooperation was used to address situations that are generally met with conflict between labor and management. The discussion will help participants understand how to transition from confusion and hostility to cooperation and collaboration. This session will also demonstrate that no perfect system exists and that even with collaborative labor-management relations, there will always be ups and downs.
Mark Burdick, Fire Chief, Glendale (AZ) Fire Department; Walter Dix, President, Broward County (FL) Local 4321; Joseph Hester, President, Glendale (AZ) Local 493; Steve Westermann, Fire Chief, Central Jackson County (MO) Fire Protection District
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