Although union membership percentages have dramatically declined, there are still thousands of employees and businesses that strive to be productive within a union environment. Some past negotiations have been adversarial, such as the Communication Workers of America in negotiations with Verizon and ATT, while others have been positive, such as the United Auto Workers in negotiations with Ford Motor Company, and the unions that negotiate with Southwest Airlines. As an HR professional, you may be engaged in a contract negotiation process.
For your final Portfolio Project, identify an existing company, or create your own, that you wish to represent as the Vice President of Human Resources. You will be the chief spokesperson on behalf of the company for its upcoming labor contract negotiations, and therefore, you must develop the strategic plan for negotiations from the perspective of the company.
With that as the background, develop a slide presentation, along with talking points for each slide, for the companys CEO and Board of Directors. The presentation will inform them of your strategic plan and will include graphics, illustrations, charts, tables, or other visuals that engage and appeal to the audience.
Your strategic plan should address the following components:
Provide a brief overview of the company you selected (or created) and the union that will be involved in contract negotiations.
Analyze the issues, both economic and non-economic, that are most likely to be on the table for contract negotiations, including the potential monetary and non-monetary costs associated with each issue. You may want to research and consider recent examples of contract negotiations between other organizations and unions when identifying and analyzing potential issues.
Assess best practices for fostering a win/win climate with the union both prior to and during negotiations, including relationship-building, negotiating tactics, etiquette at the bargaining table, and desired outcomes on behalf of the company.
Develop a three-point contingency plan for ensuring potential continuity of operations and the safety of existing nonunion employees in the unlikely event of a strike.
Finally, discuss and evaluate how successful negotiations and the ratification of a 4-year collective bargaining agreement would impact the companys culture, the non-unionized employees, and the future working relationship between the company and the union.
