Working Wounded: Is Your Company a Union Buster?

Dec. 14, 2007 — -- From Serbia to South Africa, and Hungary to Hollywood, labor strife is stopping labor around the world. Last week, I looked at union responsibilities — this time, I'll focus on strategies for companies to avoid receiving coal in their stockings this year.

When I think of a company's union responsibilities, I think of Steven Rautio. After a domestic tiff, he took the Christmas tree that he and his girlfriend had just decorated, cut it into pieces with a chainsaw, and burned it in a wood stove. Unfortunately, the stove overheated and burned his house to the ground.

Like Steven, companies with an overheated and adversarial approach to workers and unions, can send their entire operation down in flames. But it doesn't have to be this way. Below, I'll offer three Do's and one Don't to keep management and labor working together. For more, check out "The Essential Guide to Employment Laws" by Lisa Guerin and Amy DelPo (Nolo, 2006).

DO the right thing. I love basketball, especially seasoned players who always play with their head in the game. But never have I seen only Lebron's head show up. Dr. J.? His body was always there, too. The same holds true for your company — the head of management needs the "body" of workers to get the job done. Do the right thing and your whole company will get ahead.

DO negotiate. Isn't it interesting that the root of the word negotiate means "not leisure"? Anyone who has been in a negotiation completely feels that definition! It is push your sleeves up work, even if all "work" has stopped. To give or take is an action, even listening is an action — that's work.

You might be tempted to walk out on your employees and the union. But sit down, do the hard work of negotiating, and maybe everyone can get back to work.

DO support protected activities and talk. Union employees, like all employees, have the right to improve, protest or work to change the terms of employment. Really.

According to attorneys Guerin and DelPo, unless you're willing to say, "No talk about anything, anywhere, anytime, except work," you must let employees talk about working conditions. Freedom of speech can feel like it is anything but free, but trying to gag your employees may cost you even more. By supporting these rights, you let employees know you want the best for them — not only your bottom line.

DON'T retaliate. We often think there is great satisfaction and potential profit in retaliation. But "cutting your nose off to spite your face" is not a great solution.

To fire, demote or take negative job actions toward employees considering a union, or strike, is not just cutting your nose off and defacing your reputation with other employees — you are also positioning yourself to be a big chunk of red meat to lawyers. Don't make yourself a target for lawsuits.

Follow these tips, and relations between your company and union won't go up in smoke.

"Men have become the tools of their tools." — Henry David Thoreau

Resolutions … What Americans want at work and from their bosses

Source: Adecco

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. He'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic, especially if you have better ideas than he does. His books include "The Boss's Survival Guide" and "Gray Matters: The Workplace Survival Guide." Send your questions or comments to him via: bob@workingwounded.com.

ABCNEWS.com publishes a new Working Wounded column every Friday.This work is the opinion of the columnist and in no way reflects the opinion of ABC News.