School of Labor-Management Relations

Since the Guild School’s founding in 1952, we have been committed to empowering members of the labor-management community through education and collaboration. We hope you'll join us to Learn. Share. Grow.

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Join us in Spring 2023 for our 141st term! - $50/course

One of our greatest strengths is the tremendous range, knowledge base, and diversity of our membership network. That depth of labor-relations experience is evident in the Guild’s faculty and guest speakers who present our courses and workshops each year.

  • School begins Monday, February 27, and runs through Tuesday, May 23.
  • Sign up for as few as 1, or join us for all courses!

This term's classes include:

Burning Issues: What workers are facing in 2023 - Lisa Field and guests

Burning Issues: What Workers Are Facing in 2023

Virtual Event

Mondays, 2/27-3/27 via Zoom Class Description: We will examine one critical issue impacting workers and the workplace each week. Guest…

Details & Registration
DraftingContract Language with Arbitrator Michael Loconto Esq.

Drafting Contract Language to Avoid Grievances

Virtual Event

Tuesdays, 2/28-3/28 via Zoom Class Description: Grievances and costly arbitrations often arise from unclear contract language. Many locals and employers…

Details & Registration
Collective Bargaining Negotiations with Paul McCarthy

Collective Bargaining Negotiations

Virtual Event

Special Workshop – Wednesdays, 3/1-4/12 via Zoom Workshop Description: Take the mystery out of the bargaining process and learn the inside…

Details & Registration
Coalition Building 101 with Elissa C. Cadillic

Coalition Building 101

Virtual Event

Mondays, 4/24-5/22 via Zoom Class Description: Coalitions can be identified in many ways. They can be called community groups, organizations,…

Details & Registration
Basic Steward Training with Tom Breslin

Basic Steward Training

Virtual Event

Tuesdays, 4/25-5/23 via Zoom Course Description: This course will cover the basic duties and responsibilities of a Shop Steward. Building…

Details & Registration
Labor Arbitration 1 with Sheila Mayberry and Elizabeth Neumeier

Labor Arbitration I

Virtual Event

Tuesdays, 4/25-5/23 via Zoom Course Goal: To understand the arbitration process and the ways it is used in labor relations disputes.…

Details & Registration

Meet Our Faculty

The School’s most valued asset is our dedicated faculty, which spans the full range of labor-relations practitioners: arbitrators, attorneys, full-time union officers and educational directors, labor organizers, corporate employee relations managers, expert consultants, academics, state and federal mediators, state and federal regulatory agency staff, and more.

The generosity of our volunteer faculty allows the School to keep tuition affordable for working people.

Lisa Field

President

Labor Guild Board of Directors

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Elissa C. Cadillic, M.Ed

President

AFSCME 1526, Boston Public Library Employees Union

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Ashley Adams

Organizer, Trainer, Negotiator

Massachusetts Teachers Association

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Tom Breslin

Retired Associate Director of Labor Education

Massachusetts Nurses Association

Tom Breslin has been involved in Labor Education since the mid-1980s while a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, where he was an adjunct…

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Michael Loconto Esq.

Arbitrator

locontoadr.com

Michael Loconto is a Boston-based arbitrator and mediator providing neutral, independent dispute resolution services for the modern workplace. Arbitrator Loconto has trained with the Federal…

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Sheila Mayberry

Arbitrator

National Academy of Arbitrators

Arbitrator, National Academy of Arbitrators

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Paul McCarthy

Principal

Collective Bargaining Associates-Consultants to Organized Labor

Paul is a Union Organizational Specialist who works closely with union leaders to help solve organizational problems and build union power and effectiveness. He is…

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Elizabeth Neumeier

Arbitrator

National Academy of Arbitrators

Arbitrator, National Academy of Arbitrators

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Labor School Scholarship Application

Anybody can apply for a Scholarship for the School of Labor-Management Relations. Please submit your application as soon as possible. Scholarships are awarded based on need and amount of support received for the term.