Canton Supervisor Named Co-Chair on New Labor Local Government Task Force

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and its partner organization the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition (MAC) have teamed up to form a new task force that will study the state of labor management relations among state and local governments.

The Labor Local Government Task Force will be chaired by Canton Supervisor Phil LaJoy and Mark Gaffney, a business representative of Teamsters Local 214.

The task force was formed to work with Wayne State University’s Labor@Wayne program on a project to study the state of labor-management relations among state and local governments in Michigan, with the objective being to promote meaningful cooperation while improving government service delivery.

It will serve in an advisory capacity to assist in the design and administration of the study. Members will be asked to provide input and guidance, encourage interest and participation, and assist with planning and execution. The project is tentatively set to launch with a pilot survey this fall and a mini-conference this winter, followed by a more comprehensive study with a report and recommendations to be presented by fall 2014.

It is hoped that the results will generate practical findings and actionable recommendations to build sustainable cooperative programs aimed at improving government performance, cooperation, and effectiveness.

LaJoy has been Supervisor of Canton Township since 2008. Prior to that, he served as State Representative for the 21st District for six years and was a township Trustee from 1989-2003 He also has 25 years of experience in the private sector in personnel and human resources. He has served on SEMCOG’s Transportation Advisory Council since 2008 and was Chair from 2010-2012. 

Source: news release