Employee and Labour Relations Project

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Employee and Labour Relations Project
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Employee and Labour Relations Project

• Jointly sponsored by the Citys Senior Management
  Team and union and association leaders
• Financially assisted by the Labour-Management
  Partnerships Program, Human Resources Development
  Canada
• Facilitation and implementation support provided
  by Alberta Human Resources and Employment

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The journey to improve labour relations

• Our desired future state
• Where we started
• Why collaboration
• The ELRP 1998-1999
• Early successes
• Next challenges
• Strategies for success

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Our desired future state

• City of Edmonton Vision
• Quality, best value services
• Satisfied customers
• Valued employees

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Our desired future state
A framework for common ground

• SHARED
• INTERESTS
• Satisfy customers
• Support employees
• Deliver best valueservices
• Negotiate collectiveagreements
• Administer interpret collectiveagreements
• Honour agreements commitments
• Resolve issues using the interest-based approach

• UNION
• Recognition
• as bargaining agent
• Represent members
• Protect
• bargaining unit
• Adhere to
• unionconstitution
• Affiliate
• with otherorganizations

• MANAGEMENT
• Manage delivery of services
• Implement City Councilsdirection
• Manage performance
• Adhere to legislation public policy
• Steward resources

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Where we started

• The City of Edmonton - 1996
• City of Edmonton, September 1996
• Staff 7,500 permanent
• 1,050 seasonal, temporary
• Decentralized 14 autonomous, self-supporting
  departments
• Since mid-80s steady, incremental downsizing
  with no union input
• Seven unions, one management association
• Union/management relations mixed bag
• Mistrust, insecurity prevalent

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Where we started

• The forces of change
• Revenue shortfalls
• Shifts in customer demand
• Changing role of government
• Impact of technology
• Continued push for privatization, contracting
  out, ASDs

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Where we started

• Major organizational review
• No status in status quo - everything under the
  microscope
• Unions and associations were key players on
  review teams
• The big question How can we become the best
  company we can be?
• A typical response Improve labour-management
  relations.
• The answer The Employee and Labour Relations
  Project

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Where we started
Employee and Labour Relations Project Goal To
develop and sustain collaborative relations
between management of the City of Edmonton and
unions and associations representing City
employees.
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Why collaboration

• Union-management conflict
• Hampers organizational efficiency
• Consumes significant time and resources
• Prevents managers from managing, and from
  focusing on customer service
• Generates unnecessary costs
• Relies heavily on third-party solutions
• Results in solutions not sustainable over the
  long term
• Negatively impacts employee morale and
  productivity

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Collaboration in practice

• Collaboration is not about
• Surrendering rights and obligations
• Going soft or getting cozy with the other
  side
• Consulting on every issue
• Eliminating all conflict, or giving in to
  preserve the peace
• Achieving agreement on every issue

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Collaboration is ...

• An agreement to do something together that will
  benefit all parties
• Two parties, each with their own identity, each
  independently accountable, working jointly to
  benefit all parties
• Management and unions working toward common
  objectives
• Not about diminishing the right and
  responsibility of managers to manage, or unions
  and associations to represent their members

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The ELRP 1998-1999

• Developing the guidelines
• Senior Management Team, union and association
  leaders
• Two-day workshop
• The goal define what success looks like and
  how we do business around here
• The products The Working Relationship Agreement
  and the ELRP action plan

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The Working Relationship Agreement
Principles We are committed to and accountable
for 1. Recognizing and respecting each others
roles, interests and accountabilities.
2. Communicating with each other in ways that
promote common understanding, effective problem
solving and enhanced relationships. 3. Working
to earn and sustain trust.
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The Working Relationship Agreement

• Principles, continued
• 4. Using a collaborative approach to problem
  solving, decision making and negotiation.
• 5. Attacking issues, not people
• 6. Honouring the agreements we reach.
• 7. Giving each other the benefit of the doubt.

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The WRA myths and realities

• What it is
• An agreed-upon set of principles to guide the
  behaviors of management and union representatives
• A tool to evaluate and monitor the state of
  union-management relations
• An approach to dealing with problems more
  effectively

• What it is not
• A magic bullet - a remedy for all labour
  relations problems
• Intended to drive problems underground to
  maintain an appearance of harmony
• Intended to undermine or circumvent collective
  agreements
• A legally binding document

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Interest-Based Problem Solving
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ADR Facilitation
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Interest-Based Negotiation
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Plain Language Writing
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Early successes

• 100,000 funding from Labour-Management
  Partnerships Program, Government of Canada
• Alberta Labour support
• Honorable mention in CAMA award program - Willis
  Award for Innovation
• 90 grievances in one area awaiting arbitration
  cleared in six weeks
• Union and association support in communicating
  corporations new vision and values
• New dispute resolution process

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Strategies for successes
1. Build a strong case for change 2. Begin
change at the top 3. Demonstrate support and
sponsorship of leaders 4. Work on relationships
and trust 5. Communicate, communicate,
communicate 6. Plan for quick wins, celebrate
success 7. Recognize valued behaviors, confront
misaligned behaviors 8. Acknowledge breakdowns
and carry on 9. Keep up the momentum 10. Follow
best practices
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Next challenges

• Gaining commitment to the WRA at the front-line
  level
• Integrating the WRA into people processes
• Continued skill development
• Maintaining executive level commitment in the
  face of ongoing changes in leadership (City and
  unions and associations)
• Maintaining relationships as City embarks on new
  program to meet continuing financial challenges

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Its a Journey, not a Destination
Improving the delivery of public services
through labour-management cooperation isnt about
hitting home runs, says Steve Wall, Director of
Ohios Office of Quality Services. Its about
hitting single after single after single. You
score a lot more runs that way.
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