The Story of MEA

Since 1903 - An employers most important resource

Since its inception in 1903, this dynamic, evolving organization has always focused on its members' changing needs. Through times of change and challenge, MEA's mission has remained constant - to help its members improve employer - employee relations and effectively manage their human resources.

Since its beginnings in metal trades to its current diversity of employers in all sectors, MEA has been the source of practical help, expert answers and professional support to its members.

From the Past…

A December 4, 1903 invitation issued by the twenty-two (22) metal trades members of the National Founders Association established the first meeting of the Metal Manufacturers Association of Philadelphia. The purpose was to promote "open shops" in the Philadelphia area and to enable companies to cope with union activism. The MMA established a Labor Bureau to recruit workers to replace strikers and focused on legislation affecting workers' comp, employer's liability and restrictions on injunctions in labor disputes.

Accurate labor information has always been a focus of MEA and its predecessors and the first comprehensive study of wage and salary rates was undertaken in 1917.

The Manufacturers' Association of Montgomery Country began with different concerns. The industrialist who called the first meeting hoped to create a "mutual interest" among Montgomery County businessmen in opposition to proposed state legislation.

While MAMC was not confined to a specific industry it was, in part, organized around local textile manufacturers' opposition to state legislation regulating employment. Other employer concerns included workmen's compensation legislation and increased taxes on business.

In the late 1930's both MAMC and MMA set up employee relations committees to advise employers how to conform to new codes and regulations. These committees met with the AFL and CIO leaders to establish wages, hours and new apprenticeship and helper standards. Training and employee development also emerge as a focal point for the associations.

The process of evolving is clearly what enabled these organizations to continue to remain in tact. To broaden their base of support, the MMA changed it's name in 1960 to the Manufacturers' Association of Greater Philadelphia and expanded its territory to cover 8 PA counties, 5 NJ counties and 1 DE county. Their primary services included on-site advice and counsel in all areas of industrial relations, with an emphasis on employer-employee relations and wage and salary administration.

In 1971, MAGP and MAMC entered into merger negotiations. The primary goal was to consolidate the resources of the two associations and create a strong, unified organization that would fully serve the manufacturing community. Thus emerged the Manufacturers' Association of Delaware Valley (MADV), which was headquartered in Valley Forge with an additional conference center located in New Jersey. Expanded services included Affirmative Action Plan assistance and Executive Roundtable discussion groups.

In the 1980's, MADV expanded its management services and marketed them beyond the Delaware Valley, opened membership to service firms and merged with the Manufacturers and Business Association of Southern New Jersey.

In 1993, recognizing that the range of professional services that the organization had developed over the years applied to all employers, MADV changed its name to the MidAtlantic Employers Association (MEA).

To the present…

Today, with an in-house staff of over 40 possessing a greater knowledge base and expertise than ever in its history, MEA is well positioned to deliver a broad range of information, training, and consulting services to assist employers of all types and sizes in coping with their ever-expanding employee relations issues.

From its very beginnings, MEA has been a collective effort of employers to maintain successful and productive employer-employee relations. This has meant working together as employers, sharing information and practices, and developing a professional resource for the members.

What is so amazing is the fact that, for a century, the Association has continued to evolve and to improve itself in order to meet the changing needs of its members. From metal trades to manufacturers to employers in every sector, MEA has always been the source of help and the solution to its members' needs. It has always been and is today the employers' association.

Any company or organization that has employees can benefit from the programs and services provided by MEA. Why not find out what you are missing by e-mailing us today for more information membership@MEAinfo.org.

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