The Road to Successful Labor-Management Cooperation

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The Road to Successful Labor-Management
Cooperation

• PRESENTED BY
• Umar Mycka, President, AFSCME Local 752,
• Matthew Suydam, Sr. Director of Facilities
  Maintenance,
• Philadelphia Zoo
• Barbara Lichtman, Commissioner, FMCS

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The Philadelphia Zoo

• 42 acres (104 hectares) of parkland in highly
  urbanized area
• Animal collection numbering over 1700 specimens
• Includes 45 buildings aged 217 years to 2 years
• Botanical collection numbering over 38,000
  specimens

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Zoological Society of Philadelphia
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History of Labor/Management Relations at the Zoo

• 1992 Health Welfare Fund
• 1994 Fund Termination
• 1996 Negotiations
• Post-negotiation relationship
• 1997- Need for Change
• 1998-2000 RBO and Negotiations
• 2001 - ?

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HEALTH AND WELFARE FUND

• Jointly Administered ERISA Fund
• Comprehensive Benefits
• 1992 - 25,000 salary/7,500 contribution
• Audit
• Administratorship

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Fund Termination

• Health and Welfare Committee
• Employer makes contributions directly to carriers
• Committee assures continuation of benefit levels
  and cost-effectiveness

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1996 Negotiations

• Difficult Issues
• Medical Plan
• Annual Leave
• Security Guards
• Performance-Based Positions
• Foremen
• Successful Resolution
• Unanimous Ratification

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Post 1996 NegotiationsRelationship Deteriorates

• Disputes over contractual language
• Grievances and Arbitrations increase
• Strict enforcement of steward activity

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1997 Need for Change

• Local seeks assistance from District Council
• Need for Third Party Neutral Intervention
• Zoo President concurs and empowers Union to
  select
• AFSCME/Zoo agree on FMCS

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1998 Relationship By Objectives (RBO)

• Designed to improve severely strained
  labor-management relationships
• Provides model for joint cooperative decision
  making
• Structure for labor-management to establish and
  achieve goals
• Creates follow-up structure

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RBOJoint Task Force Structure

• Executive Committee
• Sets Direction
• Steering Committee
• Gatekeepers
• Objective Committees
• Address Goals

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RBO Techniques

• Brainstorming
• Consensus
• Effective Communication
• Information Sharing
• Listening Skills
• Interest Based Problem Solving

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Mission

• We are hereby committed to treat each other
  with trust and respect and to make a concerted
  effort to resolve problems and promote harmonious
  relationships. We are fully committed to build
  and maintain a positive labor/management
  relationship which will enable our work at the
  Zoo to benefit both institutional and worker
  growth and fulfillment and to benefit the
  communities we serve.

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Bringing it Back

• Zoo-wide Staff Meeting
• Leap of Faith
• Grievance Mediation
• Objective Committee Expansion
• Communication

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1998 1999 Initiatives

• Steward-Supervisor Training
• Grievance Mediation
• Roundtable Discussions
• FMCS Problem-Solving Interventions in Specific
  Areas
• Interest Based Bargaining Training

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1999 Contract Negotiations

• FMCS Facilitated IBB Model
• Coincided with opening of Primate Reserve,
  major exhibition
• Preamble negotiated
• Early-intervention problem solving protocol
  negotiated
• Difficult issues resolved
• Close ratification vote

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Post-1999 NegotiationsRelationship Maintained

• Need to take a rest
• Changes in key Management Staff
• 2000 AFSCME Local 752 Elections

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2001- A New Beginning

• Newly elected Union Local President and Officers
• Organizing additional workforce
• Restructuring of Labor-Management Committee
• Putting It Back Together

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Observations and Lessons Learned

• Commitment is key
• Communication essential
• Labor-Management Relationships fragile
• Change impacts
• Challenges continue