2014 Best & Worst List contrasts union-management collaborative success with outdated adversarial approaches

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Dec. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- From sustained union-management partnerships to setbacks and deadlocks, 2014 is characterized as a year of stark contrasts by the collaboration experts at Overland Resource Group. The firm's second annual "Best & Worst of Labor-Management Relations" List highlights successes, failings and new possibilities.

"This has been another year when acrimony and lack of common ground have been more the rule than the exception," said Robert Hughes, Overland president. "However, there are examples of improved relations, and indicators that non-traditional approaches are gaining ground." 

BEST

• Congratulations to Ford Motor Company and the United Auto Workers, who are ahead of schedule in generating 14,000 new jobs, surpassing the agreed-upon target of 12,000 set during their 2011 negotiations.
• The Alabama Organized Labor Awards Foundation recognized the long-running partnership between Alabama Power and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers by presenting its Friend of Labor Award to Bill Frederick, whose collaborative leadership fostered a five-fold reduction in grievances and accidents. 
• At a national conference, Federal Aviation Administration, National Air Traffic Controllers Association and Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union leaders credited structured collaborative processes begun in 2009 with helping improve the safety and efficiency of the national airspace despite sequestration cycles, budget uncertainty and recurring threats of government shutdown.
• The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers added a laudable dose of humility to its annual banquet when it publically apologized for its segregationist practices in the 1940's.

WORST

• Ongoing strife between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union contributed to unprecedented congestion in Western ports, partly due to labor disruption during negotiations.
• While Swedish-run IKEA is enjoying growth in its U.S. popularity, the firm isn't winning fans among its International Unions, as evidenced by a months-long lock out of 350 workers in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

JURY'S STILL OUT

Unions, businesses, and government are experimenting with new ways to balance management and workers' rights:

• The Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, TN, is allowing "micro-unions" that don't engage in full-up bargaining, but provide for employees' collective voice;
• New rulings may mean independent contractors could be eligible for protection under federal labor law and collective bargaining options;
• More organized campaigns among low-wage workers, and louder calls for upping the minimum wage, are spawning a variety of non-traditional approaches and affiliations, even within legacy unions.

For more information, contact Renee Addington-Carey at 913-829-1241 or [email protected].

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SOURCE Overland Resource Group

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