ABSTRACT
The joint labor-management model of providing human services to American automobile workers has supplied, and continues to offer, approaches that address shared interests. Human service programs negotiated by the United Auto Workers and the "Big Three" American automakers created precedents for other industries and developed patterns for services in the workplace that linked employee benefits with broader labor-management goals. The shared responsibilities of management and union in these "joint" programs set patterns for cooperative efforts in industrial relations. Joint programs provide a template for developing increased competitiveness in many fields.
