The focus over the first three decades was primarily on industrial relations. M&M kept its eye on union issues on behalf of its members, promoting an “open shop” philosophy as being the most beneficial for employers and employees alike. In 1921, the Industrial Relations Committee of San Francisco, a Bay Area group much akin to M&M in Los Angeles was highly successful in organizing the business community to maintain an open shop city. Several decades later, this group would change its name and, as the Federated Group, merge with M&M in 1993 to become Employers Group. Did you know…Following a unionist’s bombing of the Los Angeles Times in 1910, M&M joined with this charter member in the struggle for a union free environment by setting aside funds to “hunt down” the perpetrators and supply seed money for a $1 million “defense fund.”

In 1937, M&M was joined in the labor relations field by a new organization called Southern Californians, Inc., which sponsored a successful Los Angeles city initiative ordinance to keep picketing peaceful. In the 1940s, this group and M&M united to become the largest employment relations group in the nation. M&M grew its service base to provide members with a more comprehensive range of services in the human resources field. Did you know…M&M offered its services to the Civilian Defense during WWII and represented the interests of Los Angeles businesses with the War Labor Board. M&M’s post-war years included working with employers to firmly establish sound employer-employee relations in assimilating GIs back into the workforce.

The 1950s represented a time when M&M began to diversify and expand the scope of its services. Management education, research, and publication of practical literature replaced much of the anti-union activity of the past. M&M’s existing legislative advocacy became even more important in helping to slow down the intrusion of bureaucratic action upon the business community.In 1957, M&M established its Orange County Regional Office. Although the county was a rural community with little industry at the time, we recognized its potential for growth.Since the 1970s, Employers Group has provided members with a telephone consulting “helpline” to provide expert guidance on HR issues. Today, our Consulting Helpline continues to be one of our most popular services, whereby our seasoned professionals provide on-the-spot answers to compliance and employee relation questions.During this period we introduced compensation, HR practices, and budget and trends surveys, which are, to this day, considered a top benefit by our members. Did you know…M&M played several key roles in the growth of Orange County by offering management and human resources training, and by authoring the “Shop Talk” column for employers in the Orange County Register.

In the 1980s, M&M added three more regional offices, in San Diego, Inland Empire, and San Francisco. Then, in 1993, M&M merged with the Federated Employers in San Francisco and became Employers Group, thus drawing the distinction of becoming the nation’s largest and oldest nonprofit employer association dedicated to HR management.

The last 25 years has produced the largest shift in the HR profession. The methods for managing HR have evolved into a full-time function to become a much more demanding role in organizations. Employers Group has evolved to meet 21st Century employers’ need to protect their “intellectual capital.” Browse through the Employers Group website today and discover the many benefits and expert services available for today’s busy human resources professional. Many of our services are well-established, and we continually add new ones to help employers protect their most important asset—their employees! Employers Group has come a long way, indeed. Our goal back in 1896 was to help early California businesses grow and benefit the state’s economy. Our goal today is to maintain all of the U.S. as fertile fields for new business, new ideas, and new employment. We want to help employers remain competitive in the reality of today’s global economy. There’s no one quite like us when it comes to human resource management expertise. Did you know…In 1995, Employers Group introduced one of the first websites dedicated to HR, called www.hronline.org, which evolved over the years to become www.employersgroup.com – a one-of-a-kind resource for employers.