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Events

    2009 Dec 10

    Capital Matters in Europe 2009

    9:00am to 5:00pm

    Location: 

    International Trade Union House, Brussels

    The Project worked with the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC)  (with the Global Unions Committee on Workers Capital as a knowledge partner) to convene a meeting modeled on the Project’s annual  “Capital Matters: Managing Labor’s Capital Conference.”  This one-day event, “Capital Maters in Europe 2009,” took place in Brussels on December 10th.  It brought together member-nominated pension fund trustees, trade union officers, pension and other experts and policy makers who offered views and shared experiences from across Europe and from a transatlantic perspective.  It focused on how workers’ and their families’ retirement and other long term savings can be invested in productive assets in the real economy in a fair, sustainable and responsible way and not diverted into unproductive financial transactions and speculation.
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    2009 Apr 29

    Capital Matters VII - Managing Labor's Capital

    Wed - Fri, Apr 29 to May 1, 6:00pm - 2:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA

    coverThe Pensions Project held its 7th annual “Capital Matters: Managing Labor’s Capital” conference on April 29 – May 1, 2009. Many of the sessions related to the challenges posed by the world- wide financial and economic meltdown but also the opportunities. For example, the conference opened with a European labor perspective on the impact on how the financial and economic meltdown has played out in European financial markets and economies, the diverse responses of European Union countries and perspectives on financial markets regulation.
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    2009 Mar 26

    Long-Term Investment Decisions: Assessing the Sustainability Risks of Labor and Human Rights and Other Workplace Factors

    6:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA

    On March 27-28th the Pensions and Capital Stewardship Project convened a meeting on “Long-term Investment Decisions: Assessing the Sustainability Risks of Labor and Human Rights and other Workplace Factors.” The meeting brought together about 45 people from major U.S. and European pension funds, investment management, advisory, and research firms, accounting firms, labor and human rights groups, unions, and academics. The goal was to hold a workshop-style event to exchange ideas about how investors can begin to measure a wide range of workplace-related factors and analyze their potential materiality to long-term portfolio returns. The meeting covered a range of topics, including labor and human rights in global supply chains; human capital factors such as employee ownership, teams, and high-performance work systems; and shareholder engagement actions on such issues. The discussion yielded recommendations for research in a broad range of topics; proposals for practical action by participants, such as the establishment of a network to exchange information and ideas; and the application of those findings to investment decision-making and possible engagement with corporations. 
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    2008 Apr 16

    Capital Matters VI - Managing Labor's Capital

    Wed - Fri, Apr 16 to Apr 18, 5:00pm - 2:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA
    Fortune Teller Painting
    "The Fortune Teller," Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, c 1595

    LOCUSTS VERSUS LABOR: HANDLING THE NEW CAPITALISM

    • TURMOIL IN FINANCIAL MARKETS: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, AND CHOICES
    • CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REFORM: WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS IT MADE OR COULD IT MAKE FOR WORKERS?
    • LABOR IN CAPITAL MARKETS: SQUARE PEGS AND ROUND HOLES
    • PENSION FUND (AND OTHERS’) ENGAGEMENT ON CORPORATE LABOR AND HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES
    • SHOULD A PENSION FUND MAKE PROPERTY INVESTMENTS THAT ARE LABOR FRIENDLY? IF SO, HOW?
    • CAPITAL STEWARDSHIP WITHIN AND ACROSS BORDERS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
    • NOVEL, YET PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO RETIREMENT SYSTEMS WOES: THE DUTCH AND OTHER EXPERIENCE ABROAD; A NEW APPROACH TO EMPLOYMENT-BASED PENSIONS; A NEW APPROACH TO RETIREMENT SECURITY FOR ALL
    • WHAT TO DO WHILE WAITING FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE: ARE VEBAS AND OTHER PRE-FUNDED SCHEMES PART OF THE SOLUTION OR PART OF THE PROBLEM?
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    2007 May 02

    Capital Matters V - Managing Labor's Capital

    Wed - Fri, May 2 to May 4, 6:00pm - 2:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA
    • CRITICAL CHALLENGES FOR PENSION FUND GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
    • CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PRIVATE EQUITY INVESTMENT
    • CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN THE UNITED STATES
    • ENSURING RETIREMENT SECURITY FOR ALL
    • THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG CORPORATE FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE AND LABOR-MANAGEMENT AND OTHER WORKPLACE IMPACTS
    • SECURITIES CLASS ACTION LITIGATION: WHAT HAS IT ACHIEVED? WHO HAS BENEFITED?
    • WHAT MAKES FOR EFFECTIVE LABOR REPRESENTATION ON PENSION BOARDS?
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    2006 Apr 26

    Capital Matters IV - Managing Labor's Capital

    Wed - Fri, Apr 26 to Apr 28, 9:00am - 5:00pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA

    Conference topics included:

    • PENSION REFORM IN THE U.K. AND CAPITAL MARKETS
    • ENVISIONING A BRAVE, NEW, AND BETTER WORLD OF RETIREMENT SECURITY
    • HEDGE FUNDS: PROSPECTS AND PERILS - FINANCIAL AND OTHERWISE
    • TRUSTEE EDUCATION FOR ACTIVE AND EFFECTIVE CAPITAL STEWARDSHIP
    • CAPITAL STEWARDSHIP AND DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLANS
    • THE STOCK MARKET, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, AND SUSTAINABLE PROSPERITY
    • WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE OF RETIREE HEALTH BENEFITS?
    • LABOR AND SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT ACTIVISM: THE PRACTICE OF AND PROSPECTS FOR COLLABORATION
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    2005 Oct 27

    Public Sector Pension Plans: Current Challenges and Future Directions Meeting

    Thu - Fri, Oct 27 to Oct 28, 9:00am - 5:50pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA

    cover imageOn October 27-28th 2006, the Project convened a meeting on “Public Sector Pension Plans: Current Challenges and Future Directions.” Participants, presenters, and speakers included scholars and researchers, public pension fund trustees and officials, members of the investment community, union leaders, experts on public knowledge about and attitudes in relation to the issues, and others.

    Attendees sought to enhance their understanding of the challenges that public sector pension plans face, including finance and operation and broader issues such as pressures on state and local finance, shifting demographics and workforce needs, and concerns of public sector workers about security in retirement. They also sought insights into how public knowledge and attitudes on these issues shape and are shaped by contests over the future of public sector pension plans.
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    2005 Apr 27

    Capital Matters III - Managing Labor's Capital: Conference

    Wed - Fri, Apr 27 to Apr 29, 6:00pm - 2:20pm

    Location: 

    Harvard Law School, Cambridge MA

    The Harvard Labor and Worklife Program's third annual "Capital Matters: Managing Labor's Capital" conference was held on April 27th though the 29th. Organized under the aegis of the Program's new Pensions and Capital Stewardship Project, this year's conference was somewhat larger than in the past, with a total of over 90 participants, presenters, and speakers, including an increased number of union trustees. In keeping with the Project's aim of enabling trustees to become more active and effective, the opening session focused directly on what should and can be done in that regard. More so than at previous conferences, recent challenges to the survival of defined benefit plans both in the private and public sector have become a subject of intense debate while similar heated arguments rage over Social Security. For these reasons several sessions were held to assess the current and future status of those plans and Social Security. There continues to be considerable and increasing pension fund activity arising as a result of ownership of shares in publicly traded corporations. One session focused on a critical assessment of the goals for such activity, for example, whether the aim is to influence corporate governance (and in what ways) or more broadly to affect corporate behavior (and, again, in what ways) and challenges to efforts to achieve agreed-upon goals. 
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    2003 Oct 07

    "The Future of the Democratic Party and the Latino Vote"

    4:00pm to 6:00pm

    Bill Richardson

    Bill Richardson
    Governor of New Mexico     		Introductions and Opening Remarks by: Elena Kagan
    ELENA KAGAN,  
    Dean, 
    Harvard Law School,
    Harvard University
    Gerald McEntee
    President,
    American Federation of
    State, County and
    Municipal Employees

    Opening Remarks by Elena Kagan, Dean, Harvard Law School:
    " This is a great privilege for us. Actually, before I say anything else I'd like to welcome Jerry Wurf's family: Mildred Wurf and his children, Abigail and Nick Wurf. We are extremely pleased that you could join us today.
        For those of you who don't know, Jerry Wurf was the seventh president of AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is now one of the biggest unions in America. Most of that union's great growth, really its coming into being as a major force in the union movement, took place under Jerry Wurf, who was really one of the great modern labor leaders."

    Brochure of Transcript [Download]

    2001 Oct 04

    "The Strength of America"

    4:00pm to 6:00pm

    Al Gore

    Honorable Albert J. Gore

    Opening Remarks by Lawrence H. Summers, President, Harvard University: 
     " Al Gore is going to speak to us about the strength of America. In a moment, I want to say a few words about the strength of Al Gore but, before I do, I want to say a few words about public service. I want to recognize Jerry Wurf, someone I knew well as his family vacationed near mine in Wellfleet, Massachusetts and someone who I admired for his commitment to doing the right thing by the people he represented and doing the right thing by this country. Jerry made what I think is a point that none of us at the university can make often enough or strongly enough and that is the importance of public service. There was only one group of people who were going up the stairs in the World Trade Center on September 11 and those were public servants. Public servants. People who are paid by taxes. People who were workers in the government of New York City, workers in the government of New York State and workers in the government of the United States. Anyone who wants to say that government work is wrong or that government is wrong or that government is bad should think about those people going up those stairs at that moment."

    Brochure of transcript [Download]

    1989 Nov 01

    "The Changing Role of the Union and Competitiveness"

    4:00pm to 6:00pm

    Keynote Address: "The Changing Role of the Union and Competitiveness"
    Donald Ephlin
    International Vice President and Director of the
    General Motors Department, United Auto Workers

    Introduction
    William Lucy
    International Secretary-Treasurer, American
    Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees

    Postscript I: Lessons Learned
    Linda Kaboolian
    Research Fellow in the Center for Business
    and Government, John F. Kennedy
    School of Government, Harvard University

    Postscript II: The Forces Driving Change
    Kim Clark
    Professor of Business Administration,
    Harvard Business School

    Brochure of Transcript [Download]

    1984 Nov 01

    “Employment and Welfare”

    4:00pm to 6:00pm

    Olof Palme
    Olof Palme,
    Swedish Prime Minister

    "Some time ago in Vienna, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Bruno Kreisky's speech when he retired as chancellor and leader of the Austrian Social Democratic Party. As we in the audience sat there listening, we expected to hear an account of his long and eventful life and of his wide-ranging and successful political experiences. But not at all! Bruno Kreisky talked only about the future. At his retirement from official life, the whole of his thinking was looking forward..."

    Brochure of transcript [Download]

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