KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 4, 2025 – Negotiations come in many shapes and sizes—from small decisions like picking a restaurant, to more significant issues like debating salary—but a common thread in many is that they can be drawn out and complex.

This is especially true in labor negotiations—one side proposes, the other counters until an agreement is reached and both sides walk away feeling like they’ve won and secured most of what they hoped for.

URI Vice Provost Matt Bodah, a Newport resident, is no stranger to these types of discussions. Having served as vice provost since 2018, he’s engaged in numerous negotiations over the years. Bodah, who participated in URI’s most recent negotiations, was recently recognized for his longstanding commitment to labor and employee relations with the Myron C. Taylor Management Award by the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA). 

“This award recognizes Vice Provost Bodah’s breadth of experience and his steadfast commitment to the field of labor and employee relations. It’s an honor well deserved,” says Provost Barbara Wolfe.

Labor relations is a part of what defines Bodah. In his three plus decades in education he’s earned several awards. Among his achievements are the Reverend Charles P. Quirk Award in 2011, for “outstanding contributions to the cause in industrial peace” and recognition from the Rhode Island Labor History Society in 2015.

But the Taylor Award stands out—not just because he learned about it on his birthday. The award is named for the chair of U.S. Steel who in 1937 would go on to sign a collective bargaining agreement with the steel workers union, the first in the industry.

LERA, a leading association for professionals and academics in labor relations, includes labor relations professionals who work for large organizations like Kaiser Permanente, AFL-CIO and Major League Baseball. LERA also draws members from Australia and Canada.

In presenting his award, the voting committee said, “Matt Bodah exemplifies the best of our profession: smart, principled, even-handed, and quietly influential. He understands labor relations as a human endeavor—rooted in history, built on trust, and always evolving.”

“I was surprised that I was noticed and recognized for my contributions. Apparently, somebody in the organization was aware of my work and supported my candidacy for this award,” says Bodah. “I’ve been doing employer side labor relations for the past eight plus years.”

Before becoming vice provost, he spent 25 years as a faculty member at URI, teaching courses in labor relations and human resources. He also maintained a labor arbitration and mediation practice for about 15 years. This allows him to bring a well-rounded perspective to the negotiating table. 

“There are 815 members of the full-time faculty bargaining unit, 700 some odd members of the graduate assistants unit and 600 members of the part-time faculty unit,” he says, but his experience allows him to identify with each of them. 

Initially, Bodah wasn’t sure that he’d be able to make LERA’s annual meeting in Seattle to accept his award. At the time he realized he’d been selected; URI’s negotiations were still taking place. Fortunately, a handshake deal was reached just as he was preparing to travel for the conference and, ultimately, contracts were finalized with representatives from several campus unions—including those for full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants.

“Sometimes negotiations can go on well past the expiration date of the contract,” says Bodah. “But this year, we were fortunate to get all three of the bargaining units done before their contracts expired.”

In recognizing Bodah, LERA executive director Emily Smith wrote, “You bring integrity and fairness to an array of negotiations. Your respect in the field has been earned over decades of steady, principled work.”