Modern Times
Modern Times is occasional posts by Marty Manley about novel ideas, emerging technologies, and pragmatic policy bargains. Practical, center-left labor stuff, but also bikes, books, travel, and life in Oakland, California.
About me.
I am a retired labor guy and entrepreneur with an unusual mix of experiences.
I spent a decade organizing labor unions in several industries and worked as a journeyman machinist in a Silicon Valley defense plant. As a leader of the International Association of Machinists, I was asked to help solve business problems instead of causing them when large manufacturing and aerospace companies were laid low by the recession in the early 1980s. When I discovered that I knew very little about business strategy, finance, or operations, I got an MBA and worked for awhile at McKinsey until I could help unions in troubled steel, auto, airline, media, and telecom industries to restructure their ownership and operations. This often meant that unionized workers became partial, reluctant owners of troubled enterprises. A few did well. Most did not.
I am the co-founder of three technology companies and a federal agency. Reputation Networks failed to find a market but created IP still used by LinkedIn. Online commerce pioneer Alibris and academic journal sales platform RedLink worked and are still around. The agency was the US Department of Labor's Office of the American Workplace. Bill Clinton and Labor Secretary Robert Reich backed my plan to do for American workplaces what the Agricultural Extension Service did for farms: research, identify, and promote effective practices.
I hold honors degrees from UC Santa Cruz, and Harvard Business School. I wrote A Better Bargain to outline some thoughts about revitalizing labor unions. I am married to Silicon Valley scholar AnnaLee Saxenian. We live in Oakland, California, as do our two grown sons. Follow me on Xitter @martymanley or on LinkedIn.
