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4C H A P T E R 1 This research has concluded that transit systems and their workers benefit from a wide variety of cooperative or partnership activities. When both management and union pursue mutual goals in tandem, they are effective in accomplishing improvements in a wide variety of transit opera- tions, such as marketing, public funding for transit, money management (especially in the case of funded pensions), wellness (e.g., health and welfare plan design, exercise and diet, employee assistance programs), scheduling and service modifications, workforce recruitment and training, and workplace safety including accident evaluation. LaborâManagement Partnerships Improve Overall LaborâManagement Relations but Cannot Substitute for Dispute Resolution Processes This project confirmed that coordinated and cooperative programs proved more efficient and meaningful than initiatives undertaken by either the management or the union acting alone. It was discovered further that even the confrontational and litigious aspects of labor relations worked more efficiently when partnerships were in active use, because the practitioners became more skilled at determining which issues were suited to the cooperative approach and which required formal difference resolution like negotiation, lawsuit, or arbitration. Importantly, the research also found that under no circumstances should partnerships be under- taken to substitute for or even dampen dispute resolution activities in labor relations. Identify- ing and resolving disputes is a critically important aspect of labor relations and should remain separate from the cooperative/partnership work. It may not be desirable to reduce the number of dispute resolution activities (e.g., grievances), but speeding up dispute resolution processes without compromising fairness is a widely desired benefit of laborâmanagement partnerships. Summary of Benefits of LaborâManagement Partnerships as Reported by Management and Labor Table 1 summarizes the benefits of LMPs reported by management and union from the six case studies conducted during the research. The benefits were reported by medium and large transit agencies that provide bus-only and bus and rail transit services. Benefits of LaborâManagement Partnerships
Benefits of LaborâManagement Partnerships 5 Table 1. Benefits of laborâmanagement partnerships found in case studies. Transit System Features Management Reported Benefits Union Reported Benefits A medium bus operator More effective and efficient labor negoaons with fewer arbitrations More effective and rapid communicaon between management and union members during emergency, (e.g., extreme weather) More effective and efficient labor negoaons with fewer arbitraons Avoided turnover of management with a positive relaonship with union Revival, enhanced effecveness, and expanded scopes of two joint labor management commiÂees A large bus and rail operator Improved communication, cooperaon, and mely decision making on crical operang issues Improved communication, cooperaon, and mely decision making on crical operang issues A large bus and rail operator Producvity and a posive work environment Long run gains in wages and benefits A medium bus and rail operator Laborâmanagement meetings involving union parcipaon contribute to more effective decision making More effective and efficient labor negoations Laborâmanagement meengs provide a problem solving alternative to the grievance process More effecve and efficient labor negoations A medium bus and rail operator A more movated and producve workforce An active training program that facilitates employeesâ career advancement A large bus and rail operator More effective communicaon Respect for each other and greater trust Direct communication channel with top management, (e.g., open door policy) No âgotcha mentalityâ to working together Greater trust
