The following ten-point template can be used to evaluate employee and management cooperation in any work setting– union, open shop, government, and non-profit. Rate conditions on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high). Add the ratings for a total score ______. 

Evaluation

100 – 90 = Excellent

89 – 80   = Very good 

79 – 70   = Average 

69 – 60   = Poor

59 – 10   = Failing 

1.        Ethical leadership, including agreement on core values and upholding exacting standards of transparency and accountability in decision-making.

             1 – 10 ___ 

2.        Open communication, including multiple channels for voicing concerns and suggestions, facilitating honest dialogue between employees and management.

             1 – 10 ___ 

3.        Fair treatment, including fair compensation, unbiased performance review, equal opportunity, and just disciplinary actions. 

             1 —10 ___ 

4.        Labor laws, including compliance with relevant labor laws regarding work schedule, minimum wage, safety standards, and unionization.

             1 – 10 ___ 

5.        Employee relations, including opportunities for professional development, recognition programs, and initiatives promoting employee well-being.

             1 — 10 ___  

6.        Participative leadership, including joint efforts between management and employees to address workplace issues, fostering a culture of collaboration.

             1 – 10 ___ 

7.        Performance management, including setting clear performance expectations, providing regular feedback, and providing opportunities for improvement.

             1 – 10 ___  

8.        Employee development, including training programs to develop necessary skills, attitudes, and knowledge for current and future roles.

             1 – 10 ___ 

9.        Individual respect, including valuing the different experiences and perspectives of all people. 

             1 – 10 ___ 

10.     Managing conflict, including addressing disputes between employees or between employees and management.

             1 — 10 ___ 

Case Study—The Benefits of Organized Labor and Company Management Collaboration 

What can be achieved when employees and employers work together- and why partnerships are not a luxury, but a necessity.  Read and discuss the following case: 

The Kroger Company is a Fortune 25 company with sales of more than $150 billion. As of February 2024, Kroger operated under 26 banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Kroger operated 2722 supermarkets of which 2257 had pharmacies and 1,665 had fuel centers. As of February 2024, Kroger employed 414,000 full and part-time associates.  Most of the associates are covered by collective bargaining agreements negotiated with local unions who are affiliated with one of several international unions. Wages, health care, and pensions are included in these collective bargaining agreements that cover approximately 65% of Kroger associates. Building a working relationship with National and Local Union leaders is essential to the long-term success of the company, associates, and the communities served by the locations. How do “we” do this?  

One Vehicle for collaboration available to the retail food industry is the Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC). The mission of the JLMC is to provide a forum for constructive relationships and dialogue between senior management levels and workers through their union. This process includes discussing issues facing the parties to create workable solutions in an open, risk-free environment. The JLMC celebrated its 50th anniversary in May 2024. 

An example of working together effectively is the Covid crisis, when the JLMC, employees, union leaders, and management worked together to keep stores open, help workers stay safe and healthy and show up for their customers, providing them access to the things they needed the most. 

Another example is the Taft Hartley Defined Benefit Pension crisis of the early 2000’s. Many of these pension plans designed for hourly employees were in a critical funding status and in danger of running out of money to pay earned benefits. By working together, both Employers and Unions constructed a remedy to correct the problem. Just one obstacle—It took an Act of Congress and Presidential approval by then-President George W. Bush.  It happened! . . . . and new pension legislation known as the Pension Protection Act of 2006 was signed into law. It created new minimum funding standards to help ensure that employers could fulfill their pension promises to workers without straining the pension insurance system known as the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).

A third example of labor and management collaboration is the Affordable Care Act or Obama Care. This law created new rules for healthcare benefit plan design, eligibility, and costs. It also caused a nightmare at the bargaining table as many of the latest changes were not clear and some were legally challenged. It took months and long hours of internal data “systems” work at Kroger to finally get a handle on how this impacted the company. The bargaining parties worked together on Health Care Exchanges and current plan designs, associate/member education sessions, compliance issues, and investment and reporting requirements.  It cost the company 1 million dollars to upgrade the reporting data systems. The bottom line:

 It took all of us—our labor unions and our company management—working together with trust and respect to move a giant company, like Kroger, with millions of hours worked every week and many Taft Hartley Health Care plans across the country to comply with the law.  This was achieved because we had a common goal that both Labor and Management addressed with equal commitment and goodwill.1

 Discussion questions: 

What are your experiences and views about employee and management collaboration on matters such as employee wages, job classifications, promotion criteria, seniority rules, lay-off procedures, health benefits, safety and working conditions, work schedules, grievances, vacations, paid leaves, education programs, pensions, etc.?  Discuss examples of success and failure and discuss policies and practices you recommend.  

Related Reading

Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining, 10th edition, by Michael Carrell 

The Negotiating Game, by Chester L. Karress 

Exponential Organizations ExO 2.0, by Salim Ismail