How do organizations effectively navigate union-management conflict?
Labour relations work (aka union-management relationships) is often high conflict—or at least involves a lot of open disagreement.
In many ways, this conflict is structural and inevitable: the relationship between union members and management is carefully negotiated through a collective agreement and then enforced through the grievance and/or arbitration process. There is a power struggle at the heart of labour relations—a win for management often feels like (and sometimes is!) a loss of power for the union.
However, this inherently adversarial structure does not mean that the day-to-day working environment has to be high conflict or combative. Although the union and management may be in opposition on a lot of things, it’s in everyone’s interests to have a collaborative workplace culture. After all, both union members and managers benefit when the organization is successful.
Obviously, there are times when it’s in the union or the management’s interests to be aggressive or outright hostile: strikes, lockouts, and job actions aren’t typically feel-good moments where both sides come together to sing campfire songs.
But those times of open conflict should not be the norm; it leads to burnout and frustration on both sides. So what keeps a unionized workplace from becoming a high conflict one?
Lessons from Newly Unionized Workplaces
Over the past decade or so, I’ve had the unique privilege/challenge of being involved in the negotiation of a significant number of first collective agreements. And I’ve been on both sides of the table.
More often than not, what happens after a workplace unionizes is a period of open conflict, a sort of workplace civil war. I have sometimes seen managers who take the unionization as a betrayal; they lash out in anger at staff meetings or take routine grievances as a deeply personal insult. I’ve also seen some newly-unionized staff members suddenly become openly insubordinate, wrongly believing that becoming unionized renders them immune to discipline.
For some workplaces, this period of hostility can last for years. When I have seen organizations and unions adjust well, they have done things that I think apply to all unionized workplaces, no matter how long the union has been in place:
Union leaders communicate realistic expectations to their members instead of promising easy and unrealistic wins.
Managers seek opportunities to collaborate with union members and/or union staff rather than resist their influence.
Both sides prioritize the timely negotiation of collective agreements and creative resolution of grievances.
Both sides recognize and accept that the workplace culture has irrevocably changed.
Even if they resent the union, managers recognize the potential upside: unionization can sometimes bring a level of collaboration to the workplace between employees and management that wasn’t there before.
Unionized workplaces often have complicated and legalistic frameworks for dealing with conflict. But that doesn’t mean both sides can’t collaborate creatively to resolve conflict and build a better workplace culture. It definitely doesn’t mean accepting a high conflict environment as inevitable.
If you’re interested in how to work productively with a new union, to manage day-to-day labour relations, or to restore workplace relationships after a major disruption (e.g. a strike, an investigation, etc.), please get in contact!
