Abstract
Area labor-management committees (ALMCs) have been established in over 40 American communities. These committees have the potential, not always realized, to improve dramatically the legitimacy and power accorded to unions at the community level. While separate from the collective bargaining process, ALMCs do contribute to improved communications and other changes at the bargaining table. They also can serve as a unique forum to assist local employers and unions interested in establishing work-site labor-management committees and in exploring the quality of work-life. Finally, these local labor management organizations stand as a microcosm and as a potentially important element in a national industrial policy.