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Trilateral Seminar - Labor Boards in North America

Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, March 20, 2003

The Labor Boards in North America trilateral seminar was part of the activities agreed to by the Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare of Mexico, the Secretary of Labor of the United States , and the Minister of Labor of Canada. T he purpose of this seminar was for labor officials of the three NAFTA countries to discuss the law and practice governing labor boards, their members and officials, structure and responsibilities; the rules and procedures to assure their impartiality; their role in the processes for gaining the right to a collective bargaining contract; the types of unions and their relevant rights. Officials from relevant federal and state labor boards from the three NAFTA countries shared their views on their systems, as well as best practices and procedures concerning labor boards and their practices.

AGENDA

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Opening Remarks

Virgilio Mena Becerra, President of Mexico's Federal

Conciliation and Arbitration Board and Secretary of Labor

and Human Development of the State of Nuevo León.

Remarks by Heads of Delegation

Claudia Franco, General Coordinator for International

Affairs, Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare , Mexico .

Lewis Karesh, Deputy Director , U.S. National

Administrative Office , U.S. Department of Labor.

Elizabeth MacPherson, Director-General, Federal

Mediation and Conciliation Service , Canada .

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. The structure and role of labor boards in federal and

local jurisdictions

• Law and practice governing labor boards

• Union registration, petitioning for representation elections

• The organizational structure of labor boards

• The relationship between and responsibilities of local and

federal boards

• Mechanisms established to interpret and apply labor law

• Transparency and dissemination of information to relevant

parties

Moderator: Elizabeth MacPherson, Director-General,

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service,

Canada.

Mexico: Domingo García Manrique, General Secretary for

Collective Conflicts, Federal Conciliation and

Arbitration Board. PDF document (Spanish)

U.S.A.: Dennis Walsh, Member, National Labor Relations

Board. PDF document

U.S.A.: Eileen Hennessey, Hearing Officer, National

Mediation Board. PDF document

Canada: Akivah Starkman, Executive Director, Industrial

Relations Board. PDF document

10:30 – 11:15 a.m. Discussion and question and answer session

11:15 – 11:30 a.m. Break

11:30 – 12:30 p.m. The role of labor boards in the process of obtaining the right

to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement

• Voting procedures – selection of voting location, rights of

observers, and role of employers

• The role and authority of labor board officials during the

voting certification process

• Mechanisms to challenge the outcome of an election

• Types of unions and relevant rights (craft unions, sectoral

unions, industry unions, national unions, etc.)

Moderator: Claudia Franco, General Coordinator for

International Affairs, Secretariat of Labor and

Social Welfare, Mexico.

Mexico: Alejandro González y Vera, General Secretary for

Agreements and Collective Conflicts.

PDF document (Spanish)

U.S.A.: Joseph Frankl, Assistant General Counsel,

National Labor Relations Board. PDF document

U.S.A.: Eileen Hennessey, Hearing Officer, National

Mediation Board. PDF document

Canada: John M.P. Korpesho, Chairperson, The Manitoba

Labor Board.

12:30 – 1:15 p.m. Discussion and question and answer session

1:15 – 2:45 p.m. Lunch

2:45 – 3:45 p.m. The structures that guarantee the impartiality of labor boards.

• The law and practice governing labor board members and

officials (responsibilities, training, staffing, best practices, etc.)

• Procedures to review complaints against labor board members

and officials, including on the basis of their impartiality

• Procedures to appeal labor board decisions

• Rights of workers who allege discrimination for exercising union

representation and other labor rights

Moderator: Lewis Karesh, Deputy Director, U.S. National

Administrative Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

Mexico: Alejandro Torre Martínez, President, Local

Conciliation and Arbitration Board, Monterrey.

PDF document (Spanish)

U.S.A.: Dennis Walsh, Member, National Labor Relations

Board. PDF document

U.S.A.: Joe Frankl, Assistant General Counsel, National

Labor Relations Board.

Canada: Yvon Tarte, Chairperson, Public Service Staff

Relations Board.

3:45 – 4:30 p.m.           Discussion and question and answer session

4:30 – 4:45 p.m.           Break

4:45 – 5:15 p.m.           Presentation by Jack Toner, Chief of Staff, U.S. Federal

Mediation and Conciliation Service:

• Alternative dispute resolution

• Mediation and conciliation methods and training

• Best practices

                                     PDF document

5:15 – 5:45 p.m.         Discussion and question and answer session

5:45 – 6:00 p.m.         Presentation by Virgilio Mena Becerra, President, Mexico's

Federal Conciliation and Arbitration Board:

• Book: “Judgements rendered by the Federal Conciliation and

Arbitration Board: 1983-2002”

6:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
Virgilio Mena Becerra, President, Mexico's Federal Conciliation

and Arbitration Board and Secretary of Labor and Human

Development of the State of Nuevo León.

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