Labor Relations and Personnel Work

The labor relations section is one of the most interesting, challenging, and often frustrating areas of personnel work. In an airline a labor relations section must deal with several unions, and this means that much of the time the staff is preparing for the next lengthy and usually exhausting session of bargaining. This is when representatives of the company and the union sit opposite each other for "collective bargaining" and discuss each of the union's requests, sometimes called "demands." The most important topics usually concern the union's requests for increased pay, shorter working hours, additional holidays, improved employee benefits, and better working conditions. During the course of the bargaining the union representatives generally ask for more than they expect to win, while company representatives offer less than they are prepared to give. This enables each party to bargain and give a little now and then as they try to reach an agreement. If they fail, the union may call a strike once the old contract has expired. A strike of pilots will close down an airline and require massive layoffs of employees. At times like this the labor relations section works around-the-clock doing everything it can to get the bargaining talks started again so that a decision can be reached and striking employees returned to work. These can be frantic days and nights when tempers become short and frustrations grow. Disputes are always settled sooner or later, however, and the labor relations staff resumes its normal activities, some of which are described below.

Labor relation is becoming an increasingly important part of personnel administration. This is especially true in airlines because of the number of unions that represent employees. Personnel departments therefore need specialists skilled in handling negotiations and grievances and in interpreting the terms of union contracts. Labor relations specialists must have extensive knowledge of economics, labor law, collective bargaining trends, and company personnel policies. When a labor agreement is about to expire and negotiations for a new contract open between the company and the union, the director of the labor relations section will usually represent the company. The director is assisted by a staff of experts who are constantly on hand during the negotiating sessions and provide any additional information needed.



Once the contract has been approved, members of the labor relations section must make certain that all of the provisions are made known to each department that has union members on its payroll. Inevitably there will be misunderstandings, disputes, and disagreements about the meaning or application of the contract provisions. These must be worked out between the labor relations staff and the union.

At other times there may be problems caused by a general layoff and this can occasion a labor dispute because seniority rights of union members become an issue. Occasionally a union shop steward may request a hearing about a grievance involving a union member, and other controversies involving union-management relations are bound to occur from time to time. Administering labor relations is a job that calls for a thorough knowledge of current developments in labor law, the ability to interpret a contract, and a fine sense of fairness, patience, and understanding.

Unions also employ labor relations specialists. An elected union official may handle labor relations problems with the company, but the national and international union headquarters employ research and labor relations specialists just as the airlines do.

It should be noted here that many of the newer "cut-rate" airlines that have sprung up since deregulation are nonunion. This enables them to pay whatever wages they wish without having to negotiate contracts with unions representing several categories of employees. The influence and membership of many unions generally have been decreasing during the last several years. This has been true in the airline industry too, except in the case of the major long-established carriers, where the unions are firmly entrenched.

The fact that an airline is nonunion should not keep you from considering it when you seek a job. The wage and salary rates of such companies may be lower than those paid by unionized carriers, but that does not necessarily make these companies less attractive employers otherwise. Job opportunities and careers will be found within these enterprises, too, and you may find they meet your needs.

PREPARING FOR A CAREER IN PERSONNEL WORK

Most employers look for college graduates to fill beginning positions in personnel and labor relations. Others prefer graduates who have majored in personnel administration or industrial and labor relations, and some seek a general business background. A well-rounded liberal arts education satisfies some employers but certainly a college degree in personnel administration, political science, or public administration is an asset in looking for a job.

Many colleges and universities offer programs leading to a degree in the field of personnel and labor relations, but the number of programs that concentrate on labor relations is relatively small. If you are interested in personnel work you might consider courses in personnel management, psychology, public administration, economics, statistics, and sociology. If labor relation is your choice, you should consider labor law, collective bargaining, labor economics, labor history, and industrial psychology courses for your preparation. A top position in labor relations may call for graduate study in industrial or labor relations, in a law degree is usually required for those who negotiate contracts.

A college education is not the only way to prepare to enter personnel work, however. It is possible to start at the clerical level and work one's way up to a professional position as experience is gained and college courses are taken at night.

Once employed on your first job, you may be given on-the-job training to acquaint you with the company and its personnel policies. You will also be shown how to classify jobs, interview applicants, or administer employee benefits. You will then be assigned to an area in the employee relations department. It may be possible to change your specialty, if that seems desirable, or perhaps even move over to labor relations work. Those who enter labor relations work directly following formal education programs are usually graduates of master's degree pro-grams in industrial relations or possible attorneys who have recently earned their law degrees. In either case new employees probably will start out as trainees, working under the guidance and supervision of an experienced member of the labor relations section.

At one time, many employers looked upon the personnel department as a necessary evil, but this is no longer true. Today progressive managements realize the benefits that can be gained from good labor/management relations and therefore are willing to support sound employee relations programs carried out by capable staffs.

Labor relations specialists must have extensive knowledge of economics, labor law, collective bargaining trends, and company personnel policies. When a labor agreement is about to expire and negotiations for a new contract open between the company and the union, the director of the labor relations section will usually represent the company. The director is assisted by a staff of experts who are constantly on hand during the negotiating sessions and provide any additional information needed.