1981-2001

The year 2001 marks a special anniversary for the Work In Northeast Ohio Council. For 20 years, WINOC has been an integral part of helping businesses survive and grow through the many ups and downs of the economy in the Greater Cleveland area. WINOC¹s mission is ³to improve the economic climate and competitive position of businesses in Northeast Ohio and beyond by focusing on quality and productivity through people.²

Through public education, advisory services and programs, WINOC has reached out to over 2,000 businesses, government agencies, educators, and the healthcare industry. People have always been the focal point in all the improvement initiatives at WINOC. From the inception of WINOC, one of the primary goals was to be a catalyst in improving business competitiveness through labor and management cooperation.

In the BeginningŠ
WINOC was organized by a small group of individuals who believed in the potential of Northeast Ohio. Acting on this belief, this group committed long hours and substantial dollars to develop a catalyst and an organization which would improve the competitive position of the industry and workforce of Northeast Ohio. Before WINOC could begin to serve Northeast Ohio, three issues needed to be addressed: the first was to raise the necessary funding, the second was to become recognized as a center with something to offer business, and the third to encourage participation from the unions.

Some of WINOC¹s Founding FathersŠ
Malvin E. Bank, Thompson, Hine and Flory Fred A. Downey, Parker Hannifin Gordon E. Heffern, Society Corporation (Key) Martin Hughes, CWA William B. Sellers, Jr., Ernst and Young Frank Valenta, USWA union

1981-1985

Funding
The Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund Foundation donated a substantial portion of WINOC¹s original start-up funds, as well as other organizations such as Arthur Young & Company, The Cleveland Clearing House of Banks, The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Eaton Corporation, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Lubrizol, Parker Hannifin Corporation, The Standard Oil Company, TRW, GE, and many more. In addition, WINOC¹s membership organizations contributed to the operating expenses.

Awareness Raising
In an effort to increase awareness throughout the area, WINOC hosted several Labor/Management conferences and programs, the first conferences being held at The University of Akron and John Carroll University. Participants in all of WINOC¹s courses were encouraged to discuss any reservations they may have about labor and management cooperation and were encouraged to work through those issues together. As a result of some of the conferences and programs, organizations used WINOC¹s services in-house for labor/management improvement projects.

Gaining Labor¹s Support
When the founders of WINOC approached Cleveland labor leaders and invited them to join in the development of the organization, they found some of the labor leaders receptive for a number of reasons. WINOC¹s emphasis on the necessity to set up a structure to revitalize industry in Northeast Ohio by restoring its competitive edge struck a responsive cord. Union officials were well aware that their membership ranks were thinning as plants closed and jobs moved to other parts of the country and world.

As time went on, more and more Cleveland labor leaders became convinced that the WINOC concept of improving quality and productivity through labor/management cooperation made sense as a result of seeing dramatic success stories of labor/management cooperation unfold in the area with major unions such as the Communication Workers of America, the Natural Gas Workers, the United Rubber Workers, and the United Steel Workers of America. WINOC¹s philosophy attracted the union leaders because it recognized the dignity of the worker and believed in giving the worker a voice in decision making. Some of the first union leaders to accept WINOC¹s role were: Bill Basista, Bruce Foster, Marty Hughes, Sebastian Lupica, Jackie Presser, Russ Schroeder, Ben Shouse, Mike Stone, Frank Valenta, and Phil Zannella. WINOC also had loaned labor executives from: Ohio Bell/CWA, East Ohio Gas/SEIU, and NASA/AFGE.

Other WINOC supporters in the early years included: Henry Conn, TRW, Malcon Daisley, Eaton Corp., Richard Jay, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Ralph Ketchum, General Electric, and William R. Seelbach, Cleveland Tomorrow.

1986-1990

The Northeast Ohio Center for the Advancement of Labor/Management Cooperation
WINOC helped the governor establish the Ohio Department of Development¹s office of Labor/Management Cooperation and was chosen as a principal partner, in cooperation with Cleveland State University and Kent State University to develop the Northeast Ohio Center. Its purpose was to strengthen the competitive industrial position of Northeast Ohio. The funding from the Ohio Department of Development was used to increase awareness of labor/management participative programs, forums, seminars and workshops.

Public Programs
The Exploring Labor/Management Cooperation course for labor leaders and corporate managers was created with a grant from The Cleveland Foundation. This course took participants out of their normal work environments and encouraged relationship building. Exercises where labor and management worked together in teams was a key element in breaking down barriers and encouraging positive communication. The goal of the course and others was for participants to take the principles of teamwork they learned in the exercises and apply them at work.

Built-Rite Cooperation Program in Construction
The Built-Rite cooperation program for construction was initiated by WINOC with the first jobs being, Society Tower and LTV Steel Company. Built-Rite was an alliance between owners, contractors, and building crafts union, all committed to creating positive change in industry and worksite construction practices through enhanced communications and problem solving techniques.

Fortune Magazine
In the August 15, 1988 article, ³The Resurrection of the Rust Belt² in Fortune Magazine, WINOC was mentioned as a ³collaborative labor-management outfit, that successfully spreads the gospel of cooperation throughout the region.² The article also mentioned WINOC¹s work with Diebold in Canton on labor/management relations.

In the March 27, 1989 article, ³How Business Bosses Saved A Sick City² in Fortune Magazine about the Cleveland turn-around, it makes reference to WINOC in this excerpt: ³Like most Cleveland Tomorrow efforts, this one produced a new institution, the Work in Northeast Ohio Council. Under the aegis of a board of union and management representatives and now heavily financed by the state of Ohio, the council¹s staff spreads the gospel of productivity, product quality, and quality of worklife on the factory floor. Staff members do extensive consulting, promoting the whole array of modern management techniques that get workers and managers to see themselves as partners rather than adversaries.²

1991-1995

Total Quality Management
WINOC¹s focus in the early 90s was on Total Quality Management (TQM), a method of achieving competitiveness through total commitment to continuous improvement, labor/management cooperation, open communication, and participation. The approach integrated quality improvement into all functions and levels of an organization. WINOC was introduced to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award when Robert Meyer became a national examiner. Some of WINOC¹s clients such as Lamson & Sessions Company and Van Dorn Demag Corp. began their Baldrige journey with WINOC¹s help.

Area Labor Management Committees (ALMC)
WINOC played a key role in helping establish ALMCs in Ashtabula, Mahoning, Stark and Tuscarawas counties. These committees received funding through the Ohio Department of Development¹s Labor/Management Cooperation program and leveraged WINOC¹s outreach throughout Northeast Ohio.

Partnering with Other Agencies
WINOC partnered with CAMP and other NIST Centers to develop an HR Assessment Process that was used throughout the country. We also established the first Northeast Ohio Consortium for ISO9000 certification.

Healthcare Outreach
With a grant from the Cleveland Foundation, WINOC helped 4 area hospitals better understand Total Quality/Continuous Improvement processes. This model was later developed into the criteria for Joint Commission Certification.

1996-2001

People Make the Difference
WINOC advisors and staff wrote their first book, People Make the Difference, a guide to help organizations create a vision for the future and a plan for how to get there. Beside offering a detailed model for continuous improvement, the book provides nine in-depth case studies that describe the best practices of some of Northeast Ohio¹s most outstanding organizations. The nine organizations featured in the book are: Ford Cleveland Engine Plant 2, L-S Electro-Galvanizing Co., Picker International, Pioneer-Standard Electronics, Inc., Republic Engineered Steels, Rexroth Mobile Hydraulics, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Van Dorn Demag Corp., and Zircoa, Inc.

Harvard Case Study
In the 1996 Harvard case study, The Cleveland Turnaround: Responding to the Crisis, WINOC was sited as an organization that was instrumental in the turnaround process. This case study is used in teaching classes at Harvard and other noted universities.

Lean Manufacturing Focus
Through advisory services and public programs, WINOC educates individuals on how to implement the tools of lean manufacturing such as visual factory, quick setup and changeover, total productive maintenance, just in time delivery, value stream mapping as well as the people side of lean. WINOC continues to stress that lean does not mean eliminating employees, it is a comprehensive system that helps organizations gain a competitive advantage, develop a better work environment for employees, and create stronger customer relationships.

Basic Skills Project
WINOC, in collaboration with others, conducted a pilot project that determined the impact of basic skills training on organizational and employee effectiveness. The project was funded by the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and the Cleveland Foundation. At the end of the project, The Plain Dealer published a extensive article on local companies who were utilizing it.

Education and Government Adopt Baldrige Model for Management Excellence
The Ohio Department of Education has adopted a management process that mirrors the criteria of Baldrige and the Ohio Award for Excellence (OAE). WINOC is beginning to help local school districts implement this. We also helped the Ohio Department of Transportation to benchmark the criteria of the Ohio Award for Excellence. WINOC¹s president, Bob Meyer, was elected to the Board of Trustees of the OAE.

WINOC extends a special thank you to all past and present employees, trustees, clients and members for making WINOC's program possible.