The vote, do we vote yes or no? With music it’s called the crescendo which means the build-up, swelling, climax etc. In labor management, the vote of whether to accept a radical change in the relationship between employees and employers is called collective bargaining.
Let’s first understand, that Unions are not bad, nor is Management. Both need to work in harmony and serves a purpose to labor relations when disagreements erupt. Back in the day, Management was considered abusive which is the reason “The Wagner Act of 1935” was enacted which mutated over the years, with numerous addendums and executive orders, has given us our revision within the Civil Right Act, and a guiding force of the NLRB.
Harmonies in a preverbal sense during labor negotiation can take a crescendo of the ending of the Star Spangle Banner or the destructive sounds of shock and awe.
Any reasonable person understands if management is fair there is no need for Unions. With that said, in a time of a highly emotional society and the lack of trust with our leaders there is no wonder why the rank and file work force has his or her doubts about the practices of management.
The reality is, if negotiations end with the sounds of shock and awe no one wins. Tensions will grow, the line of divide will widen and in the end, the product which we offer will eventually suffer. When this happens – we all fail.
It has always amazed me, that highly intelligent people on both sides of the table cannot compromise mainly because of individual egos, failure to effectively communicate, understand the other side, (and – or) act responsibly. A decision that would ratify a win-win solution can only be determined by an understanding of the mission and values of the organization.
To whoever is sitting at the table I would like to share a simple analogy. I think we can relate to a mom and dad that do not get along and are always fighting. The children although they may not be part of the problem are affected, and in many situations in the end, the children suffer. In a labor /management situation it’s the hard working employee and the customer.
Remember most employees want to feel good about going to work and want to be proud of the place he or she works. The individuals at the negotiation table has a catastrophic responsibility which is much greater then getting a few dollars more, it’s about developing a product that is desirable and grows, to the greater good for all.
Let’s make the crescendo of this labor management agreement something that rings in a proud moment for our organization and our product – a organization that lives its mission and values.
