How can you effectively handle conflicts with union representatives?

Change your company culture to one where your employees share the responsibility for making more profits and receive a share of the extra profits that result. Then your relationship with them and the union official will be a more cooperative one based on a mutual desire for Co-Productivity. Albert Einstein said, "you cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that caused it. Shifting to the Co-Productivity culture changes everyone's mindset from the old 'we-them' one to a cooperative mindset on the part of your management, employees and the union official.

Conflict resolution can be multifaceted. Aside from a perceived or real contract violation, how long has this conflict existed? Has there been a new employer policy change? If so how was it implemented or articulated? It's been my experience that 95% of all conflicts are caused by communication failures. Has frontline management been listening to baseline issues before they manifest to conflict? If not, there may be reason for management communication training. How are management communications handled? I have always said it's not what you say but what employees hear that counts. Clear concise communication is not only vital but must be the life blood of all management practices.

For me, context is everything. In most instances, trained management and Union representatives understand their roles and the steps and consequences of escalation. Therefore, it’s always worthwhile to build a solid and shared understand of the context around the incident in question.

honestly, I think that corporate overtones and the objective to try to allocate voice and corporate narrative comes off as disingenuous to internal employees and to the community at large; which, I think, in the end would still negatively impact both your brand identity and your returns.

Know what you actually want as a result of negotiations/discussions. Understand how far you are prepared to go to achieve mutual agreement. Simply be prepared for situations that cannot be resolved by above. Be prepared to spend time understanding both sides of the debate.

Communication is key. Like a marriage, successful marriages have open and frequent communications. The same is true with the management/union "marriage". It's been my experience that communications must be in writing first then articulated by management verbally. All managers must have the same message for communication to be effective. This effective approach will generate dialogue which can then be responded with another written company response as a Q&A. Again fortified with a verbal manger communication. Once effective communications are established following this method dialogue will flourish and misunderstandings and disagreements will greatly diminish.

Trust is the key to effective communication and is the foundation upon which engagement is built. Therefore, all behaviors should be geared towards being straight-forward and honest. I generally look for words with emotional content and address as needed to maintain the proper tone and professionalism. Active listening is another good technique in communication because people often listen once they know they have been heard. Also, communication is individualistic in nature. You send messages in your singular personality traits, facial and physical gestures, tonality and reputation. Communication is the ultimate leadership skill.

Following rules and procedures is the crux of avoiding almost all grievances and creating positive relationships. A collective bargaining agreement is a document that was agreed upon by both employer and rank and file union membership. Coming from the transportation industry, many times management would purposely violation a portion of the agreement to keep transportation moving. Union grievance would then be filed and the company would "sometimes" pay. This is where problems begin. We all know contracts are written with a certain degree of vague language and interpretations of agreements many times become overly cumbersome, sometimes by design. Consulting human resources or legal counsel in my opinion only complicates the issues

Of course, consistency is a primary value for any human resource professional. A primary role in HR is also to communicate the rules and procedures to others who may be unaware. I agree with William in situations when an organization decides to "pay the fine" versus complying with rules and regulations. In this instance document the occurrence and determine how to maintain your personal credibility with your union counterparts.

At the end of the day it’s all about seeking mutual benefit between the employees represented by a Union and their employer. A culture of win win and partnership is the only path to sustained productivity and success for all concerned. Both sides must pursue partnership in place of conflict.

As a former senior elected union official, I would always strive to bargain for the best agreement for the members I represented but also tried to achieve an agreement that could help the employer become more successful. It took many years to build trust and cooperation and this would spill over to conflict resolution and win-win mindset. Unfortunately those days are behind us. Employers strive to answer to shareholders and political considerations of the day. Unions create an Us vs Them mentality and the divide has become greater. Fostering a creative trusting atmosphere has become a challenge but still possible. Developing personal relationships is key and hard work to overcome the present obstacles and mindset must be understood.

As I described in the communications segment, I often utilize "do the right thing" to establish a thinking framework leading to a win-win. Another simple conflict resolution technique I use as an agreed-upon principle with union partners is "if your right, your right" and "if your wrong..." This reasoning methodology elevated discussions beyond defensive tendencies and arguments once facts, policies and procedures were presented properly.

As human beings, I generally try to get to know people from a non-work perspective. We have lunch and/or dinner if possible. We sometimes become friends as well as business associates. Likeability is a character trait supporting effectiveness and efficiency in getting things done.

Involve them from an as early stage as possible. They will be able to contribute to a healthy culture and you will both commit to the organisations development .

Both parties should work hard to avoid conflict. Make sure you are right before moving forward. Do not take a winner takes all or my way or the highway position. Both sides must acknowledge they need each other when all is said and done. Avoid a daily confrontational attitude. And the union needs to be careful not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg.