MAPS - LABOR-BASED PEER ASSISTANCE IN THE WORKPLACE

An offshoot of management-based Employee Assistance Programs, Member A ssistance Programs (MAPs) are peer-based programs designed to help uni on members suffering from substance abuse and other personal problems. Although a relatively recent phenomenon, MAPs are rooted in tradition al union principles of voluntarism and mutual aid. This article examin es the emergence and growing popularity of MAPs, differences in MAP st ructure and orientation across unions, and the potential significance of MAPs to unions and industrial relations.