One of the most important and demanding aspects of a union’s work involves collective bargaining agreements. In some ways, collectively representing an entire workforce to maximize negotiating power with an employer is the essence of what a labor union does.
In fact, the popularity of labor unions among workers is higher than it’s been in years. As unions continue to bargain effectively for the people in the workforce, that popularity is bound to continue growing further.
How make sure your negotiations are successful
You can take a couple of easy steps to make sure your negotiations on behalf of your workforce are successful:
- Achieving consensus with the workers first: This is the most critical step in the entire process. With the diverse needs of many workers, it takes time, patience and very clear communications to determine which issues are the most critical and which issues you should consider less important in the negotiations. You will be representing the workers, so it is critical to get an understanding of what your workers want.
- Make a clear plan that reflects the consensus: Having a clear plan in place, and communicating that plan effectively, is an important part of making sure the people you represent are all on board with the negotiation. When expectations are set, it minimizes the fallout that can come from people not understanding the probabilities in a negotiation.
- Attending to the details: It is all too common for something to get missed. A simple detail, a provision earmarked into part of the agreement that gets overlooked, or even a simple clerical error could ruin an otherwise successful negotiation. Make sure all the details are covered well.
- Work with a legal expert: One of the best ways to make sure all the details are covered, that you achieve internal consensus and that you have a sound negotiating strategy going in, is to work with an experienced team of legal professionals.
Labor unions in New York and throughout the country have a very important job protecting the rights of the men and women who make up our workforce. Union leaders are wise to partner with experienced attorneys who handle labor issues. When collective bargaining is successful, the workforce continues to approve of and support the work of our unions.