Working Together for Public Service:Appendix A

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Working Together for Public Service

Appendix A
Task Force Mission Statement

The economic success of our Nation, as well as the social well-being of its citizens, depend, in large measure, on the essential services and infrastructure provided by state and local government. The imperative to compete in an increasingly worldwide economy and to respond to increasing societal demands requires that governments at all levels perform in a timely and cost-effective manner. It is essential that public management and organizations of their employees work together in order to respond effectively to these fundamental needs.

To this end, the Secretary of Labor has established a Task Force on Excellence in State and Local Government through Labor-Management Cooperation. The task force will investigate the current state of labor-management cooperation in government and report to the Secretary in response to the following questions:

1. What, if any, new methods or institutions should be encouraged to enhance the quality, productivity and cost-effectiveness of public sector services through labor-management cooperation and employee participation, recognizing the broad variety of functions performed by different levels of government and various other agencies and public organizations?

2. What, if any, changes to legal frameworks which impact on labor-management relations, including collective bargaining and civil service legislation could be considered to enhance cooperative behaviors that would improve the delivery of services by reducing conflict, duplication and delays?

3. What, if anything, should be done to increase the extent to which workplace problems are resolved directly by the parties themselves rather than through recourse to administrative bodies and the courts?

4. What, if anything, can be done to improve the coordination between appropriate executive and legislative bodies to enhance labor-management relations in the public sector and to create a climate where productivity improvement, innovation and risk taking are encouraged and rewarded?

5. What conditions are necessary to enable elected political leaders, public managers, public employees and labor organizations to work together to achieve excellence in state and local government? What are the obstacles, and how can they be overcome?

6. What examples of successful cooperative efforts are appropriate to serve as public sector models? Why have some initially successful efforts failed, and what can be done to enhance prospects for success?