Unions' time to reinvent

In her column about the state of organized labor following Michigan’s adoption of a right-to-work law late in 2012, Crain’s publisher Mary Kramer includes comments by Wayne State University labor expert

Marick Masters, professor of management at Wayne State University School of Business Administration and director of Labor@Wayne, spoke with Crain’s about the struggle with public-sector unions. "The public sector is the last bastion of defined-benefit plans," Masters said. "Increasingly, from a financial point of view, they're indefensible."

So what should unions do? Besides pension reform, Masters said unions need to reinvent themselves to remain relevant. "Imagine if a labor union could deliver to an employer a workforce that was ready to work, certified for skills, certifiably drug free," he said. "That's a big burden off employers."

Crain's Detroit Business

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