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Helping Labor and Management See and Solve Problems

NCJ Number
94857
Journal
Monthly Labor Review Volume: 105 Dated: (Summer 1982) Pages: 15-20
Author(s)
J R Stepp; R P Baker; J T Barrett
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The effective promotion of labor-management peace calls for blending prevention with treatment if resources are to be used more efficiently. The preventive mediation function requires the mediator to be alert to symptoms of untoward labor-management relationships, to diagnose the problems accurately, and to prescribe effective remedies.
Abstract
This discussion extracts from accumulated experience those principles on which a prescriptive model for improving labor-management relations can be built. First, the labor-management relationship and the possible location of the problem are diagnosed. The model's remaining segment prescribes remedies including the relationships by Objectives program, labor management committees, or joint training programs. The Relationships by Objective program is being used almost exclusively in situations following protracted strikes or where volatile labor-management histories exist. In this program, mediators provide the expertise for guiding labor and management toward basic changes in their relationship. Both are brought together by mediators to analyze their problems, to decide what their common objectives should be, and to reach agreement on goal implementation. Since the program was introduced by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) in 1975, 100 Relationships by Objectives projects have been completed by some of the most difficult labor situations in American industry. In recent years, more than 300 labor-management committees have been formed annually by employers and unions with assistance by FMCS mediators. These committees share the essential need for representatives of labor and management to join together and talk about mutual problems; they complement the traditional collective bargaining relationship. Joint training programs are designed to improve successful labor-management relations by using supervisor-steward training to develop a work atmosphere which is conducive to labor peace and the quick and effective resolution of labor-related problems. The FMCS conducts 400 to 500 such joint training programs annually. The programs are tailored to the perceived needs of the supervisor-steward audience and involve discussions of handling problem situations and making the supervisor-steward relationship work. The article also focuses on the importance of solving higher order problems before lower order problems and third party audits, including the 'human performance' audit. A total of 14 footnotes are provided.

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