Labor and Employment Relations Association

What Labor and Employment Relations Association does

The Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) is a U.S. nonprofit professional membership association founded in 1947 as the Industrial Relations Research Association (IRRA) and later rebranded to its current name. Headquartered at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's School of Labor and Employment Relations in Champaign, IL, LERA operates as a national forum convening labor representatives, management, government, academic, advocate, and neutral professionals who share ideas and learn about developments in labor and employment relations. The organization runs on a small staff of 1-10 employees and does not develop proprietary technology; its digital footprint consists of a standard membership website (leraweb.org) and a MemberClicks-powered membership platform used for event registration, content delivery, and communications.

LERA's core offerings include an Annual Meeting (79th edition scheduled for June 2027 in Baltimore), a LERA@ASSA winter meeting held jointly with the Allied Social Sciences Association, a Council Webinar Series, the Perspectives on Work journal, a PhD Student Consortium, a Junior Faculty Consortium, a member library, and a job board. Programming is organized through a distributed network of local chapters (e.g., Gateway, Oregon, New Jersey, NYC, Central Ohio, Detroit, Maine), industry councils, and interest sections. The association is supported by deep institutional partnerships with elite IR/HR academic programs (Cornell ILR, MIT Sloan, Penn State LER, Rutgers SMLR, UCLA Anderson, Michigan State, UIUC, University of Toronto, University of Rhode Island) and with major labor and regulatory bodies (AFL-CIO, NLRB, FMCS).

LERA's business model is a community-led membership model funded by three primary revenue streams: individual and organizational membership dues (annual recurring subscription), conference and webinar registration fees (one-time/event-based), and corporate/university sponsorships. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization serves a distributed, multi-stakeholder professional audience rather than concentrated enterprise customers, and its differentiation rests on being the singular national forum that brings together all sides of labor and employment relations rather than serving a single constituency.

Name

Labor and Employment Relations Association

Legal name

Labor and Employment Relations Association

Website

http://www.leraweb.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LERA is the singular organization in the country where professionals interested in all aspects of labor and employment relations network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Labor relations association
• Employment relations research
• Professional membership organization
• Union management conferences
• Human resources policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual and organizational membership dues provide primary revenue stream. LERA offers individual membership, organizational membership, and sponsorship options. The association maintains a membership portal for joining and renewal.
2. Event Registration: Revenue from registration fees for the Annual Meeting, LERA@ASSA Meeting, webinars, and professional development workshops. Registration fees apply to both members and non-members.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsorships support events and programs. The organization maintains sponsor relationships with universities and other organizations in the labor relations field.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Founded in 1947 as the Industrial Relations Research Association (IRRA) and headquartered at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Labor and Employment Relations, LERA is a nonprofit professional membership association that convenes labor, management, government, academic, advocate, and neutral professionals in labor and employment relations. Its core offerings include individual and organizational membership, the Annual Meeting, the LERA@ASSA winter meeting, council-sponsored webinars, the Perspectives on Work journal, the Member Library, PhD and Junior Faculty consortia, awards, and an online job board.

Product overview

LERA is a professional membership association providing a platform for networking and education in labor and employment relations. The organization offers an annual meeting, LERA@ASSA joint meetings, a council webinar series, the Perspectives on Work journal, PhD and Junior Faculty consortia, a job board, and member library resources. Founded in 1947 as the Industrial Relations Research Association (IRRA), the national LERA provides a forum where representatives of labor, management, government, and academics share ideas and learn about new developments, issues, and practices in the field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LERA Annual Meeting LERA's flagship annual conference bringing together labor, management, government, and academic professionals to share ideas and learn about developments in labor and employment relations. Features concurrent sessions, workshops, poster presentations, the PhD Consortium, and the awards ceremony.
• LERA@ASSA Meeting Joint meeting held in January with the Allied Social Sciences Association, providing a forum for interdisciplinary discussions on labor and employment topics.
• Council Webinar Series One-hour facilitated webinar sessions hosted by LERA Industry Councils, Interest Sections, and Local Chapters featuring expert presentations followed by open forum dialogue on labor and employment relations matters.
• LERA Perspectives on Work LERA's flagship journal providing research and analysis on labor and employment relations topics.
• PhD Student Consortium Annual professional development event for PhD students in labor relations and related fields.
• Junior Faculty Consortium Professional development program for junior faculty in labor and employment relations.
• Job Board Online job board connecting employers with professionals seeking positions in labor and employment relations.
• LERA Member Library Digital resource library accessible to LERA members containing past webinar recordings, publications, and research materials.
• Individual LERA Membership Annual membership for individual professionals providing access to publications, webinars, member library resources, chapter networks, and discounted event registration.
• Organizational Membership and Sponsorship Organizational membership and corporate sponsorship program for universities, companies, associations, and labor federations, supporting events and programs at LERA.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, School of Labor and Employment RelationsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1947LERA headquarters is co-located at UIUC School of Labor and Employment Relations. The organizations collaborate on conferences, publications, and academic programs. UIUC hosts the LERA office and provides administrative support.
• Cornell University ILR SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell ILR is a major institutional partner, sponsoring the welcome reception at annual meetings and contributing to LERA publications and programs. Faculty members participate in LERA councils and serve as discussants and presenters.
• MIT Sloan School of ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT co-sponsors the welcome reception at annual meetings. Faculty including Thomas A. Kochan have participated as featured speakers and distinguished presenters at LERA events.
• Penn State School of Labor and Employment RelationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPenn State co-sponsors the welcome reception at annual meetings. Faculty contribute to LERA programming, research, and the PhD Student Consortium.
• Rutgers School of Management and Labor RelationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRutgers co-sponsors the welcome reception at annual meetings. Faculty and students participate in councils, interest sections, and research presentations.
• UCLA Anderson School of ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA co-sponsors the welcome reception at annual meetings. Faculty including David Lewin have served in leadership roles including LERA President.
• Michigan State University School of Human Resources and Labor RelationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSU co-sponsors the welcome reception at annual meetings. Faculty contribute to programming and research through various LERA councils.
• University of TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Toronto co-sponsors the welcome reception at annual meetings, representing international academic participation.
• University of Rhode IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerURI co-sponsors the welcome reception at annual meetings as part of the university IR/HR program network.
• Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFMCS officials regularly participate as presenters, panelists, and moderators at LERA events including webinars and annual meetings. The relationship facilitates professional development for dispute resolution practitioners.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFL-CIO co-sponsors the AFL-CIO Breakfast and Featured Speaker program at annual meetings. Labor federation officials participate in panels and serve in leadership roles.
• Cornell University PressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCornell University Press publishes the LERA Bulletin and related labor studies materials, supporting distribution of research to the academic community.
• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent and former NLRB Chairs and members participate in LERA programming including webinars and annual meetings. Former Chair Wilma Liebman served as LERA President-Elect. The relationship facilitates dialogue between regulators and practitioners.
• U.S. branch of the International Society of Labor and Social Security Law (ISLSSL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the September 2020 webinar on USMCA labor rights enforcement. The partnership facilitates international comparative labor law programming.
• Work, Human Resources, and Organizations (WHRO) CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHRO Council sponsors LERA webinars including the June 2025 HR in the Age of AI webinar. Councils organize programming and select topics for professional development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): The largest US professional association for HR practitioners, offering individual and organizational membership, SHRM-CP/SCP certifications, conferences, and publications. Like LERA, it serves HR/employment professionals via membership and events, but at much broader HR scope and significantly larger scale.
• WorldatWork: Professional association focused on total rewards, compensation, benefits, and HR — funded primarily through membership dues, with parallel educational programming (webinars, journals, certifications) targeting HR practitioners and similar revenue mechanics to LERA.
• International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA): The international counterpart to LERA (formerly the International Industrial Relations Association), convening labor and employment relations scholars and practitioners globally. Directly comparable as the global forum with a parallel academic-practitioner membership mix.
• National Academy of Arbitrators (NAA): US professional association for labor arbitrators and dispute-resolution practitioners. Operates with a similar academic-practitioner membership model and overlapping stakeholder set, particularly around FMCS-adjacent dispute resolution professionals.

Broad incumbents

• Academy of Management (AOM): Large academic professional association for management scholars with annual meetings, multiple journals, and interest groups. Comparable in academic-association format and annual-meeting model, though at a much broader management scope than LERA's labor-relations focus.

Emerging players

• Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP): Professional association for I/O psychologists with overlapping academic HR/workplace focus. Shares part of LERA's stakeholder base (HR researchers and practitioners) and a similar conference/journal programming model.

Others

• ABA Labor and Employment Law Section: American Bar Association section for labor and employment lawyers. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the broader labor-law and employment-relations professional ecosystem that LERA convenes.
• National Employment Law Project (NELP): US nonprofit advocacy and research organization focused on labor standards and worker rights. Adjacent ecosystem participant that shares the labor-side constituency LERA convenes, but operates through policy advocacy rather than membership convening.
• Economic Policy Institute (EPI): US think tank producing research on labor markets, wages, and workplace policy. Shares LERA's academic-practitioner audience and labor research focus, though operates via policy research and publications rather than a member-association model.

Regional players

• International Labour Organization (ILO): UN agency setting international labor standards and convening global labor policy dialogue. Operates in the same labor relations domain at a global/regulatory scale rather than a US practitioner membership scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LERassn
• Facebookfacebook.com/lerassn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/labor-and-employment-relations-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Labor and Employment Relations Association