Labor-Management Partnership Program

The Power of Partnerships

Labor-Management Partnerships are collaborative programs between management and employees (or their representatives) to solve workplace problems, improve productivity, and enhance employee engagement. They are strategic alliances where groups align for mutual gain. Watch to better understand how the power of partnerships creates a bridge that leads to improved organizational performance, the identification of shared goals, and an intentional, unified mission.

What is a Labor-Management Partnership?

Labor-Management Partnerships are relationships with a defined mission that bring workplace stakeholders together to improve quality, and to think through, discuss and resolve challenges. By delivering consensus decisions, they enhance the workplace for all. Like the Department of Labor’s mission, partnerships: “[F]oster, promote, and develop the welfare of wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assume work-related benefits and rights.”

Labor-Management Partnerships with Unions:

In unionized workplaces, labor-management partnerships are formalized agreements or structures that bring union leaders and management together. They often involve joint committees or councils, collaborative problem-solving initiatives, negotiated partnership agreements, and training and development programs.

Labor-management partnerships with unions are a powerful tool for fostering collaboration and driving organizational success. By working together, unions and management can build trust, address workplace issues, and achieve shared goals. These partnerships can benefit employees, management, and the organization, creating a more productive and positive work environment.

Labor-Management Partnerships Without Unions:

In non-unionized workplaces, labor-management partnerships may take the form of joint committees, employee councils, training partnerships, or task forces. These structures provide employees with a voice in decision-making and help management understand employee concerns. They can function as informal or formal mechanisms to foster collaboration.

Examples of non-unionized partnerships include employee-management councils, quality circles, advisory panels, and workforce engagement groups.

Why should labor and management partner together?

Labor and management can accomplish more together than working in isolation. Labor-management partnerships allow the workplace stakeholders to:

• Identify problems,
• Reduce burnout in workplaces,
• Facilitate an environment of shared accountability and innovation, and
• For unionized workplaces, improve workflow by proposing solutions to organizational challenges that are either too complicated for or can’t wait for the next round of contract negotiations.

Workplace collaboration is not out of reach. If you are interested in building or sustaining a labor-management partnership, check out the Resources and Publications listed on the Labor-Management Partnership Program page to learn more.