Working with Unions on a daily basis

by Jerry Armstrong
City of Bloomington
Parks & Recreation Department

Some people might think that working with a union work force requires some unique or mysterious form of management. This is hardly the case. The key to any successful organization is the relationship between supervisors and employees. Whether the work force is unionized or not plays a smaller role in this relationship than one might think.

One of the reasons that workers organize is due to a feeling that they are not being heard. This lack of communication probably leads to more problems than any other factor in the work place. If an organization does not communicate, the "we-versus-they" atmosphere develops. The key to a productive working environment is to have good communications at all levels. It is important to remember that listening is a primary communications skill.

The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department has long had a union work force. The employees are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The work rules are spelled out in a contract that has evolved over the years. All of the department's maintenance personnel are represented by this one union. This is fortunate as only one set of work rules is involved. Dealing with a number of unions would require dealing with separate contracts and different work rules which would be more cumbersome.

It is important that supervisors are very familiar with the union contract. This includes knowing the intent behind clauses in the contract. Words in the English language have many meanings and finding the exact word to describe the prevailing thought when contracts are written is sometimes very difficult. So it is important for everyone to know why certain clauses are added to contracts. Supervisors without a thorough knowledge of the contract will be at a disadvantage when communicating with employees.

There are a few things that make operations a little more difficult. From a management viewpoint, job classifications and seniority are probably the two most difficult aspects of dealing with a union shop. In many cases, these two items are intertwined.

It is probably safe to say that management's flexibility is limited by job classifications and the subsequent job description that accompanies each of these classifications. The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department has 12 different job classifications, but only four will be used in the following illustration.

For example, if the department's best concrete finisher is a laborer, a slight problem arises. A laborer is viewed as one of the lower job classifications. Professions listed under higher classifications include truck drivers, utility workers and light equipment operators. Concrete finishers are considered utility workers. In order to have a laborer finish concrete, it is necessary to elevate the truck driver to utility worker and pay him or her the higher salary before elevating the laborer. Sometimes it is very difficult to get an employee with a particular skill — even if the management is willing to pay the extra money. The unions prefer a larger number of job classifications. This gives their membership opportunities for upward mobility and higher wages. By limiting the number of job classifications, flexibility is increased and operations are simplified.

The issue of seniority is another potential problem when dealing with a union shop. This is particularly true in the area of promotions. In Bloomington, the qualified person with the most seniority is promoted, not necessarily the most qualified person. The senior person then has 90 days to prove that he or she can do the job. In reality, this person will remain in the position unless he or she is inept. Through long standing precedence and contract language, it is virtually impossible to promote a more/qualified individual over someone with seniority. This makes it extremely difficult to fill positions which require a variety of skills with the right person.

Another problem area, probably unique to the City of Bloomington, concerns rest periods. City employees are allowed to take 15-minute morning breaks at the nearest restaurant. Years ago, the city and the union were having a hard time reaching a contract agreement. The city wanted a smaller percentage raise than the union was requesting. The two sides were close, so management decided to throw in off-site breaks if the union accepted the lower percentage. This has turned out to be an unfortunate decision. By the time employees secure a job site to travel to the nearest restaurant, a 15-minute break can turn into a 35-minute break or longer. Even without abuses, it is easy to see the problems that can arise here.

If faced with a work force that wishes to organize, seeking professional help is advised. The union will make accusations of bad faith bargaining, but its negotiator will most likely be a professional. Once an item is in the contract it is difficult to remove and usually costly to try. Both sides use changes as bargaining chips. When bargaining, two items to consider are keeping job classifications to a minimum number, and having the ability to promote the most qualified individuals.

Working with a union work force is not that difficult. The key is good relations. Everyone likes to be asked how they feel about things or how they would do something. Workers with a stake in a project produce much better results. Remember, it is easier to maintain a good working environment than to mend fences.

About the Author

Jerry Armstrong is Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.