Labor–Management Partnerships for Public Transportation, Volume 2: Final Report (2015)

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6Background This research addressed ways of supporting LMPs in the transit industry. The focus was on what makes LMPs work and last in transit systems. By understanding the factors necessary for successful LMPs, the research team developed a Toolkit for management and union leaders who would like to estab- lish LMPs, formalize their existing cooperative activities, or improve their existing partnerships. 1.1 Balanced Approach The research team took a balanced approach to this topic by examining inputs from both management and union rep- resentatives. In the telephone surveys and on-site interviews for in-depth case studies, interviewees were selected from both management and union. In an evaluation workshop toward the end of the study, equal numbers of management and union leaders were invited so that the research team would receive balanced feedback on the draft Toolkit. It was ensured through- out the study that both management and union perspectives were equally represented. 1.2 Transit Industry Focused The research also reflected the latest development in labor– management cooperation in the transit industry. The research was for the most part based on first-hand data collected by the research team through telephone surveys, data collection ques- tionnaires, and on-site interviews for in-depth case studies. A total of 47 transit systems in the United States responded to the survey and/or the questionnaire, and on-site interviews were conducted in six transit systems. The collected data contained extensive information regarding management profession- als’ and union leaders’ experiences with LMPs, their opinions on the factors and practices that are critical to the success of LMPs, the structures and processes of their LMPs, as well as the characteristics of their transit systems and the political and legal environment. The data enabled analysis of a wide range of aspects of LMPs. The data collection and analysis process deepened the research team’s understanding of how LMPs work in the tran- sit industry. The research allowed them to develop a Toolkit that is tailored to the needs of transit systems. The Toolkit con- tains three major research products: (1) the Charter Docu- ment, (2) the Labor–Management Partnership Guidance, and (3) the Labor–Management Partnership Workshop Frame- work. The Toolkit is designed so that transit systems, no mat- ter what stage their cooperative activities are at, can use it to establish, formalize, improve, revive, or expand their LMPs. 1.3 Report Structure This report documents the 2-year research effort—the research process and its findings and products. The report is structured into four sections. Chapter 2 is a documentation of the research approach. Then major research findings and products are presented in Chapter 3. It ends with a conclusion in Chapter 4. Because of their lengths, some research products, findings, and tools are included in the appendices. C H A P T E R 1