Benefits of Labor-Management Collaboration

Veronica (Labor Co-Chair): Some of the benefits of having a
labor-management committee in the workplace include being able
to have open and frank discussions.
Kathleen (Management Co-Chair): Labor and management
collaborating together is a huge benefit to the agency.
Matthew (Management Co-Chair): It's not only possible we do
cooperate together in labor-management.
Kathleen (Labor Co-Chair): It gives you an opportunity to have
dialogue between management and between the union,
and that's very important.
Kathleen (Management Co-Chair): Since we formed the committee,
the communication lines are open, very open.
Veronica (Labor Co-Chair): Rather than having our separate
issues- labor issues, or management issues, we can
come together as a team.
Matthew (Management Co-Chair): Any time you're doing some any
sort of program administration or implementing a program,
you want to have a feedback loop.
You get that feedback in labor-management.
Roderic (Management Co-Chair): To solve problems that are
existing at the work level, you need to have the input and the
support of the people actually doing the work.
Jane (Labor Co-Chair): A lot of times, management doesn't know
what's going on within the rank and file, or within each
individual department, as vice versa, where a lot of times, the
union employees don't realize what stance or what's really
going on in the management, or the obstacles they have to
come up against.
Matthew (Management Co-Chair): Also provides us an opportunity
maybe to better explain to the representatives you know the
reasons why we're doing certain things.
That's not always apparent.
Paul (Management Co-Chair): By working together, and the
employees seeing that we're working together, there's a
greater sense of trust and confidence you know that
we are in this together.
Phil: Working together works.
Plain and simple.
Laura: Although there may be a longstanding perception that
"labor proposes and management disposes..."
Phil: ...successful collaborators today know that a
mutual partnership delivers more effective results for both
labor and management.
Laura: Experienced managers recognize that the best ideas
often come from the people who are closest to the work.
Phil: ...and strong union leaders know that working on
concerns and new ideas increases employee satisfaction.
Laura: Labor-management committees provide an
opportunity for mutual understanding.
They are made up of a group of leaders from both sides, who
have agreed to come together to discuss workplace issues and
generate new ideas.
Labor-management committee meetings give managers a forum
in which to share the agency's direction, priority and goals...
Phil: ...while allowing union members to voice concerns about
operations, safety, and quality of life.
Laura: When representatives from both management and labor
cooperate, the result is an empowered,
more satisfied workforce.
Phil: Sound too good to be true?
Rest assured that even if relations in your workforce feel
strained now, there are tools and techniques you can apply to
improve your collaborations and successfully address what we
call "matters of mutual concern."
Laura: Effective labor-management collaboration
requires two basic elements: Structure and Relationships.
Phil: All of the content covered in this series is designed
around these two categories.
Laura: Structure ensures that there is a consistent framework
for productive discussions to take place.
Strong relationships keep those discussions
positive and solution focused.
Laura: These video modules will help you build and maintain
proficiency in both areas.
Phil: Use this series in the way that makes the most sense
for your committee.
The modules could be viewed as pre-work to live training, a
refresher of key learning points after training.
You can view the entire collection from start to
finish, or watch individual content areas as
the need arises.
Laura: We'll be your hosts throughout this series.
Phil: We'll guide you through the content areas, provide tips
for best practices...
Laura: ... and take you through some demonstrations
of successful...
Phil: ...and not so successful...
Laura: ...labor-management committees in action.
Phil: So we've told you a little bit about how labor-management
committees can benefit your workplace.
Laura: But you don't just have to take our word for it.
There are plenty of other members of successful committees
out there who agree.
Charles (Labor Co-Chair): I couldn't see a workplace that
would function with any kind of normality
without labor-management.
Roderic (Management Co-Chair): When I first became a manager, I
had a workplace that did not have
a labor-management committee.
And I know exactly what it was like, there was all kinds of
issues with grievances and disciplines, and no one knew
what the rules were, or the rules changed,
depending on who you talked to.
Kathleen (Labor-Co-Chair): I think that's why the
labor-management committees were created, because you had to have
some consistency.
Paul (Management Co-Chair): I consider that the
labor-management committee meetings are a forum for ideas.
We've been able to develop those ideas, and have an end product
that's really worthwhile.
Matthew (Management Co-chair): What we've done is, through
labor-management, enter into pilot agreements and pilot
programs that provide for part-time employees to basically
receive pro-rated benefits.
Kathleen (Labor Co-Chair): One of the things that we
accomplished as a committee was a special driving course for
the direct care people.
It taught people a special technique on how to drive with
the disabled in the van, during all types of weather -
and we've had less accidents.
Charles (Labor Co-Chair): I work for a division called Fleet
Administration, and we were able to, through the labor-management
program get all of our mechanics certified by New York State
in the air conditioning repair area.
And that allowed us to do more work in-house, provide a better
service to our customers in a more timely fashion, and keep
work inside instead of contracting out.
Jacquelyn (Labor Co-Chair): If the people are in an environment
where it's a happy, healthy work environment,
then they're productive.
That goes a long way.
Paul (Management Co-Chair): Once you have successes, and the
employees see that, "You know, I had a complaint about you know,
the lighting in the back parking lot and wow, they were out
there, taking care of that you know on Thursday."
So they see that it's not just words, it's not just you know
a good feeling, that things actually are accomplished.