Subject: Help Us Choose the Cover for The Leader-Shift Playbook: LRI INK

August 22, 2024

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Help Us Choose the Cover for The Leader-Shift Playbook!

by Phil Wilson

I'm thrilled to share some exciting news—my upcoming book, The Leader-Shift Playbook, is officially in the hands of the publisher and gearing up for production! We're aiming for a launch in the first quarter of next year, and I can't wait for you all to dive into it.

But before we get there, I need your help with something important. We've narrowed down the cover design to two fantastic options, and I'd love to hear which one you think stands out the most. Which one would you be most likely to pick up off the bookshelf? Your input is invaluable, so please email your preferences to us.


And if you want to stay in the loop about the book launch (and maybe snag some exclusive goodies closer to the release), make sure to sign up for updates here. Thanks for your support—I can't wait to share this journey with you.

The Latest From LRI - The Left of Boom Show

by Michael VanDervort

California Labor Lab: Legal Trends and Tips With David Wimmer

🎙️ Join hosts Phil Wilson and Michael VanDervort on the latest episode of the Left of Boom Show as they chat with David Wimmer, a top labor and employment attorney from Swerdlow Florence Sanchez Swerdlow & Wimmer. 🌟


🔥 David takes us into California's complex labor laws, offering his expert take on everything from the latest wage-and-hour regulations to the hotly debated arbitration agreements. Whether based on the West Coast or elsewhere, these insights could reshape how you approach your employment practices nationwide.


💡 Don't miss practical tips, eye-opening conversations, and maybe even David’s surprise pick for favorite legal drama! 🎬


👉 Tune in now to stay ahead of the curve

Leadership in Transition: New CEOs Respond to Pressing Issues

by Kimberly Ricci

If it feels like CEOs are currently being swapped out at high-profile companies more frequently than usual, that observation is not unfounded. According to a new report from executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 2024 has seen a 50% CEO turnover increase at the top of the ladder, with notable examples including Boeing’s Dave Calhoun and Starbucks’ Laxman Narasimhan. 

 

Leadership changes can cause trepidation among workers, but these transitions provide opportunities for successors to transform operations, address company culture, and foster extraordinary workplaces. With that in mind, this leadership roundup includes appearances from Boeing and Starbucks’ new CEOs:

  • Incoming Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has only been on the job for a few weeks and announced that he is “committed to reset” relations with the International Association of Machinists union. This move arrives ahead of September's “final phase” contract negotiations involving 33,000+ workers, for which the Machinists signaled that they would not budge on wages after members authorized a strike. Ortberg further expressed hopes for “a new contract where we can come together to build a strong future for our employees.”

  • Ozempic producer Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen spoke about the importance of lowering employee stress to foster a fruitful environment. This declaration followed the company’s annual report, which included anonymous survey results stating that 14% of Novo Nordisk workers feel overwhelmed at work. Jørgensen calls this an unsustainable figure, and he tasked managers with being able to “run an area without high-stress levels.” He also aims to deploy “local action plans” to alleviate potential issues at department levels.

  • Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares is traveling from his Portugal home to Detroit for meetings about revamping North American operations after a 40% drop in operating income for first-half results. Tavaras prefaced this visit by taking responsibility with investors, telling the group that he failed by not acting sooner: "We were arrogant," but "I'm talking about myself, nobody else." The CEO shuttered his vacation plans to address the subject amid chatter that the UAW could strike at an Illinois plant over production drops. Tavares’ impending physical presence presumably signals that he is taking the company’s emphasis on collaboration to heart.

  • Starbucks’ SEC filing of new CEO Brian Niccol’s offer letter revealed that he would work a hybrid work schedule and commute from his California home to Seattle headquarters, where he will be present three days per week when not traveling for work. Harvard Business School professor Raj Choudhury calls this an opportunity for Starbucks to offer corporate workers flexibility in work schedules. Remote work or not, Niccol is the outgoing CEO of Chipotle, where he has been credited for doubling revenue and increasing stock price by over 700% since 2018. 


Also, this week, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt apologized after coming under fire for blaming a hybrid work policy for Google’s hiccups in AI technology. He told the Wall Street Journal that he “misspoke about Google and their work hours” and “regret[s] my error.” Former CEOs’ words matter, too, and no matter the issue, workers everywhere are listening.

A UAW Roundup: Organizing, Strikes, Layoffs, And Robots

by Kimberly Ricci

Since UAW President Shawn Fain came into office, he has been popping up everywhere, like the energizer bunny.  This week, that trend continues when Fain will speak at the Democratic National Convention, along with many other union leaders. He’s in so many places these days that it’s surprising that jokes do not abound about him possibly being a robot. Speaking of which, androids are on the topic list today, so here is a UAW update, including strikes, layoffs, and robotic automation in the workplace:


  • Volkswagen Chattanooga and UAW have scheduled first-contact negotiations, which are set to begin in 6-8 weeks, four months after the union’s victory at the Tennessee plant. 

  • At a Mississippi Nissan plant, where the UAW lost in 2017 amid the initial fallout of the union’s mega-corruption scandal, workers are reportedly considering another effort at unionization after watching Detroit Big Three negotiations and the April UAW win in Chattanooga. This new organizing round is heating up despite the UAW’s shattering loss at Mercedes’ Alabama plant that slowed union momentum and appeared to stall a campaign at a Hyundai plant in Alabama.

  • UAW members at Cornell University have begun an August 19 strike during move-in week before the fall semester. According to the union, “1,200 custodians, groundskeepers, cooks, food service workers, greenhouse workers, gardeners, mechanics” are on the picket line.

  • Dakkota Integrated Systems workers at a Chicago parts plant are entering their third week of picketing. At the facility, serving a nearby Ford plant, 450 striking workers overwhelmingly rejected a tentative agreement that didn’t include the wage increases and changes in working conditions that the union had promised.

  • Stellantis will soon lay off 2,000+ workers at its Warren Truck plant in Michigan after Ram 1500 Classic truck production ends. The automaker will shift some of that focus in favor of the Ram 1500 Tradesman truck at the Sterling Heights Assembly plant. Fain has aired his displeasure about the layoffs, although, as we’ve previously discussed, unions cannot protect workers from layoffs despite their promises on the subject.

  • BMW recently announced the completion of trial runs for humanoid robots at a Spartanburg, South Carolina plant, where the robots could eventually, according to a press release from the automaker, "save employees from having to perform ergonomically awkward and tiring tasks.” This Spartanburg plant is high on the UAW’s list of plants for its ongoing quest to organize the South, including 13 automakers where the union has targeted 150,000 auto workers. 

Mercedes-Benz also recently began beefing up  its production lines by introducing Apollo robots that “feature human-like faces.”

 

Both news items show automakers could safeguard their future bottom line while anticipating higher labor costs due to unionization. Analysts also recently predicted that robots will be introduced in “dozens” of battery factories and EV plants with plans to “replac[e] workers as they retire, rather than displacing swaths of their current workforce.”

 

Since we’re approaching a presidential election that will impact labor law, we will end with an obligatory mention of politics: the UAW has officially endorsed Kamala Harris. This might be the least shocking piece of labor news to surface this year. However, it’s a subject that will keep on giving as election season wears on.

About Labor Relations INK

Labor Relations INK is published weekly and is edited by Labor Relations Institute, Inc. Feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone you think might enjoy it. New subscribers can sign up by visiting here.


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Contributing editors for this issue: Michael VanDervort and Kimberly Ricci.


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About Labor Relations Institute

LRI exists to help our clients thrive and become extraordinary workplaces. We improve the lives of working people by strengthening relationships with their leaders and each other. For over 41 years, LRI has led the labor and employee relations industry, driven by our core values and our proven process, the LRI Way.

 

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