Community College Journal - February/March 2012

Tips for Building Better Relationships With Unions

Here are some suggestions from college leaders for more productive dealings with professional unions.

• Be honest with union reps, and aim for maximum transparency.

• Include input from as many members of the faculty and staff as possible when planning discussions with union leaders to resolve issues.

• Create a comfortable climate so participants from both sides feel free to share ideas and opinions about the issues at hand.

• Listen to what people on the union side are saying, and don’t devalue their interests.

• Make sure teams on both sides are
working with the same, accurate
numbers or facts (for example,
average salary figures) and that the
information is presented in proper
context and perspective.

“The key to successful labor relations
is mutual respect,” says Carl Friedlander,
president of the California Federation
of Teachers Community College Coun-
cil. “Also, districts that respect their
employee unions need to be completely
transparent about their finances.”
Whether a college negotiates directly
with unions or employs union workers
by way of a statewide contract or other
means, healthy relationships are essen-
tial to amicable negotiations.

Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) in Boston, along with 14 other community colleges in Massachusetts, has a statewide contract with a union that represents all full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, and nonadministrative professional staff. The college therefore does not directly negotiate with the union, explains Mary Fifield, BHCC’s president. Still, there is a provision within the contract that calls for monthly meetings between union leadership and college leadership to discuss issues that need to be worked out.

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