Labor relations goals of management, labor unions, and societyThe opening vignette in Chapter 14 of your text described the negotiation of a three-year labor contract of the Kansas City, Missouri, firefighter's union Local 42 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. The city manager, whose goal was to reduce the budget, proposed eliminating 107 firefighter jobs. Local 42 objected to the layoffs, and helped to come up with a revised plan in which 33 positions would be eliminated through attrition and early retirement incentives. The negotiators additionally, identified management, civilian, and other positions that could be eliminated. Parties on both sides of the negotiation stated that they were pleased to arrive at a contract that saved money while avoiding layoffs of firefighters.
Discussion Questions
- Identify the overlapping interests of the city manager and the Local 42 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Identify their competing interests. Identify the interests of the community (or society).
- State the importance of understanding these sets of interests when learning about labor unions.
it is essential to think about all of the individual parts of the overall picture and what interests those vested members have. It is also important to consider how the unions play a part in the picture. Do the unions meet the expectations or intended purposes? Do all of the vested members stand up to the responsibilities? Can you think of ways that it could be handled differently or changes that could be beneficial? What are the needs and goals of each of the different parts of the picture?