Contact Information
Phone Number: 608.262.9848
Email Address:
ken.mericle@uwex.edu
"Working at the School for Workers is very satisfying. The participants in our classes are enthusiastic and very appreciative. They have a no-nonsense thirst for practical knowledge they can use in their day-to-day efforts to protect and advance their members' interests. In doing this work I feel I am helping committed people to help themselves. I can't imagine more rewarding work."
Ken joined the School for Workers in 1979 and served as Director from 1992 until 2002 when he returned to full-time faculty status. Over the years he has worked with nearly every major union the the country on problems related to work loads, compensation systems, highperformance work practices and pension systems. In addition to teaching courses on these topics, he has conducted applied research and provided a variety of technical services to unions such as advising grievance and bargaining committees, serving as an expert witness in arbitration cases, conducting job evaluation and work measurement studies, and analyzing pension plans. Ken also devotes considerable attention to facilitating joint labor management efforts to design compensation systems like gainsharing, profit sharing, skill-based pay and job evaluation systems; and high performance work practices such as team production systems, project teams and steering committees in union-management partnerships.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Industrial Engineering, Iowa State University, 1967
Master of Science, Economics, Iowa State University, 1969
Doctor of Philosophy, Industrial Relations, U.W.-Madison, 1974
