During my career, I had the opportunity to work with many Union representatives within the telecommunication industry in numerous locations throughout the states. I must say that the relationships developed with these individuals ranged from terrific to downright painful.

Union reps goals are to protect their members and existing jobs; grow new jobs and therefore grow new members; and bargain for fair wages, benefits, and working conditions.

The company management goals are to provide good customer service, meet productivity/financial targets, and provide a safe and secure working environment for its employees.

The union’s and company’s goals do not seem like they are that different -- and they are not. It is the method in which each works to achieve these goals is where the range of terrific-to-painful comes in to play.

The Terrific Relationship
Terrific union/manager relationships are built on trust, consistency, and communication. The union rep recognizes the fact that if the company is successful, then the union will be successful and grow members; if the company fails, then there are no employees.

With this foundation, the rep and manager work together to solve problems and look for ways to achieve each other’s goals. The manager treats each employee with respect and uniformity, and the rep does the same with the manager.

As problems arise, and they always do, the manager and rep work together to resolve the issue and keep personalities out of the discussion. If one side is wrong (I have been there along with the union), they admit their shortcoming and move to an appropriate resolution.

The lines of communication are always open and there are no major surprises to the employee team. The union rep also realizes that at times, within publicly traded companies, managers do not know every change that is about to occur and they too are sometimes caught off guard. When this happens, immediate communication about the change is the key. With these methods of operation, a terrific relationship can be achieved.

The Painful Relationship
Painful union/manager relationships exist on a level of distrust and game playing. Each party enters meetings and discussions leery of hidden agendas and not always sure of the accuracy of the facts. Multidiscipline meetings become the venue to grandstand in front of their peers and disrupt the flow of valuable, timely information. These antics demonstrate the lack of respect for all involved.

As the frequency of these instances increase, the more mangers and union reps dig in their heels, and the relationship goes from tolerable to painful. The manager becomes hard-nosed on daily activities and the union rep finds ways to create an unsettling atmosphere within the employee base. A true waste of time and energy.

The only way I knew to overcome these instances was through third-party intervention from someone each side trusted. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not.

Union representatives and managers that effectively work together to achieve joint goals is a powerful tool and a competitive advantage. Win for the Union, Win for the Company.

What status is your relationship?

Byron retired as a senior manager of AT&T with more than 29 years of service and now is an Independent Consultant in Telecom Operations. During the last 12 years of his career, he held the position of Vice President - Construction and Engineering for AT&T West. Reach Byron at byron-mc@att.net.

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