Checklist #3: WIBs and Sector Initiatives (for the public workforce system)
This checklist is designed for the public workforce system. While the earlier checklists assume that the labor-management partnership will initiate a workforce project, many Workforce Investment Boards themselves have approached the Institute to ask how best to engage area labor unions – and/or unionized employers –in a sector-based workforce initiative. This checklist identifies some of the considerations the boards should take into account when establishing this relationship.
First, the Institute thought it best to summarize the reasons why Workforce Investment Boards should be participating in sector-based initiatives in general:
What are potential roles for WIBs in a sector initiative?
- Catalyst (convene the players; conduct the research, etc.)
- Sector Intermediary (invest in the initiative, provide staff or fiscal support, monitor outcomes, etc.)
- Supportive Partners (engage local officials, help raise outside resources, organize One-Stops and other agencies to provide support to the effort)
- Policy Initiator (ensure that public policy is aligned with the needs of the industry)
- Vehicle for Financing (serve as fiscal agent, particularly for grant resources)
Why a Sector Approach?
- Economies of Scale (Cross-employer efforts are generally more efficient than single-employer efforts, especially where a common training provider, such as a community college, can offer the training.)
- Deeper relationships with employers and unions (Sector-based work allows for a deeper engagement with the key industry players and more community impact than serving individual workers and employers separately.)
- Proven Effectiveness: outcomes are better with sector initiatives (Whether performance is measured in terms of placements, career ladders or industry-recognized credentials, in the unionized segment of advanced manufacturing the placements will likely be at wage rates that are significantly higher than other workforce board efforts.)
- Comprehensive ability to address both workers’ and employers’ needs (This dual customer approach corresponds to the vision of the Workforce Investment Act.)
- Demand Driven (Sector-based approaches respond to real needs of a particular sector or industry.)
Different Focuses, all based on Good Jobs:
- Making low-wage jobs better (via a career ladder)
- Keeping good jobs in the community (job retention and industry competitiveness)
- Meeting employer needs (job growth and skill requirements)
Getting Started:
Once a Workforce Investment Board decides that it wants to engage in a sector-based initiative, and the sector has a significant union presence, especially in the higher-wage advanced manufacturing industries, there are some specific principles that should be followed in engaging unions and unionized employers in that work.
Selecting an industry sector and developing a training partnership should involve unions at a number of key points along the way – not the least of which is the policy-development level on the WIB itself. Here are a few things to keep in mind as the dialogue with unions about workforce development takes place:
1. The principles of union involvement in training
- Before you start, understand these basic facts about the union perspective on education and training for their members:
- Unions are legally required to represent the interests of their members as defined by those members. Any successful training initiative incorporates the input of manufacturing workers in its design and execution. Unions are the legal and effective vehicle for that input.
- If there is a union representing the proposed trainees, negotiations around any “change in working conditions” will likely be required to implement the training program.
- Not all jobs are created equal: job quality is as important as job quantity to representatives of workers, and a clear-headed assessment of both is necessary.
- Once unions are actively engaged in designing and supporting a training initiative, the union can motivate workers to participate enthusiastically in the program. Experience shows that employers working on their own are less likely to inspire such worker interest.
2. The principles of how to engage the union in the program
- Don’t wait! Get unions involved at the very start of the process. Union approval is almost always required before implementing a program for incumbent workers. Engaging worker representatives early will pay dividends on the high road. And union support, or lack thereof, for new hire training programs will be a major factor in its success as well.
- Engage unions directly. Employers do not speak for the unions that represent their workers, even when both the union and the company might agree that a new training initiative is in their mutual interest. Do not defer to employers, encouraging them to bring unions to the table; tell the employer you are inviting the union as a separate and equal partner in the process. Many well-intentioned programs have made precisely these mistakes very early in the process.
- Engage the right level of the labor movement. American labor unions are organized to represent groups of workers at particular employers. These unions are usually local unions of national or international unions. A sector initiative must involve the unions that have a stake in the employment relations in that industry/sector. It is not appropriate to rely on the central labor council leaders to represent the union interests in the sector initiative, although you might be able to obtain assistance and introductions to the appropriate unions through discussions with the central labor council.
- Unions have the advantage of seeing an industry across employers. Unions can often be the “glue” that brings together a multi-employer initiative.
- Recognize that most unions will want to argue that an increase in skills should be coupled with an increase in wages or career opportunities. In some cases – depending on the history and the challenges in the plants – the unions will require that the employers agree to some such terms before they agree to wholeheartedly participate in the initiative.
3. The labor landscape in an industry
- Be sure to research the answers to these key questions:
- Do the industries selected for workforce development include unionized employers?
- If so, which employers are unionized and by which unions?
- Who is the lead union in the industry?
- What is the nature of the relationship between that union and its employers?
- Is there any history of joint union-management work in the industry?
4. The labor landscape in workforce development
- Identify the unions’ view of training. Some unions see training as part of their “core mission”; others see it as an employer’s responsibility. The trend is for more and more unions to get involved in training of both incumbent workers and of new hires.
- Determine whether the union and the company/companies already have a training program developed. For example, virtually all construction unions have well-established, jointly managed apprenticeship and training programs. Many labor-management apprenticeship programs exist in the manufacturing sector too, and other unions and employers have developed other programs to meet more cyclical or short-term needs.
- Identify the unions’ views on training needs. Does the union share your assessment of the industry’s training needs?
- Assess possible roles for the unions and employers involved. Would it be in the interest of this union to urge one of their signatory employers to sit on the WIB?
5. The labor landscape in the community
- Unions are organized into local labor federations, called “central labor councils” (CLCs) for regional labor markets, or state federations that represent the common interests of the unions at the state level.
- Unions from the area elect leaders to represent them at CLCs or state federations.
- Labor federations are at the center of politics, legislation, and public policy for unions.
- CLCs or state federations nominate labor representatives to workforce boards.
- Make a point of meeting and knowing the principal officer of the CLC or state federation.
- Establish a relationship with the leaders of the CLC and the state federation of labor. Identify those who sit on the WIB. Have these labor leaders nominated representatives from one of their affiliated unions to represent them on the WIB? Do they get reports from their representative about the policy issues that face the WIB?
Your labor representatives can help you negotiate the union landscape, or you can contact the Institute for further technical assistance.
|
