The 2008 Labor Relations and Human Resources Conference was held Oct. 29-31 at the Omni La Mansion del Rio Hotel, San Antonio. The focus of the conference was to educate management personnel on current human resources and labor relations trends in the metalcasting industry.

One of the hottest topics at the conference was "Labor Issues After the November Elections: The Employee Free Choice Act." The proposed amendment to the National Labor Relations Act could have major ramifications, including the elimination of secret ballot elections, where all a union would need is signitures on cards or petitions to start a union in that particular facility.

"Unions are spending tens of millions of dollars to elect Democrats who pledge to support passage of the Employee Free Choice Act of 2009. The proposed elmination of secret ballots could change the entire landscape of labor relations for both union-free and unionized employers." said Steve Warren, Constantangy, Brooks & Smith, Greenville, S.C., a law firm specializing in labor relations issues.

Other topics at the conference included "The Changing Political Environment," Alicia Oman, Waterman & Associates, "FMLA and Military Family Leave," Joel Aziere, Davis & Kuelthau, "How ADEPT Leaders Manage Talent for Maximum Productivity, "Meeting the Challenge of Globalization in the American Foundry Business," Michelle Clemon, McWane, Inc., "The Importance of Knowing How to Manage Generation Y," Chris Norch, Denison Industries, "Building Partnerships with Industry Through IMAGE," Joe Martinez, Jr., The Dept. of Homeland Security Immigration and Custom Enforcement, "Revitalizing the Safety Program in a Small Foundry," Peter Macler, Peter E. Macler & Associates.

For more information on the 2008 Labor Relations and Human Resouces Conference, contact Lynn Smith, AFS manager of human resources and administrative services, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 800/537-4237 x 223.

Chris Norch, Denison Industries, presents at the 2008 Labor Relations and Human Resources Conference