Subject: July 2023: Leadership Bits And Bytes: LRI INK

August 3, 2023

To visit the blog post, click on the link below the article.

July 2023: Leadership Bits And Bytes

by Michael VanDervort

We read a wide variety of leadership articles every month. For July, we summarized some of the best leadership articles we have read so you don’t have to.


The Labor-Savvy Leader


An interesting read from Roy E. Bahat, Thomas A. Kochan, and Liba Wenig Rubenstein, who advocate for a more constructive relationship between management and organized labor. The paper proposes that leaders should embrace unions as partners, invest in workers’ skills and well-being, and foster a culture of mutual respect and trust. While embracing unions may not be feasible for all organizations, the ideas around investing in workers and building trust are worth considering.


Part-Time Employees Want More Hours. Can Companies Tap This ‘Hidden’ Talent Pool?


Businesses need more staff, and employees need more work, so why can’t employers make this work to their advantage? A report by Joseph Fuller and colleagues shows how algorithms and inflexibility can prevent companies from accessing valuable talent they badly need in a long-term shortage. The report provides concrete recommendations for tapping into this pool of workers who want more hours, which could be a win-win for employers and employees.


How to Be a Purpose-Driven Leader Without Burning Out


The idea of servant leadership — putting your team’s needs ahead of your own — brought us to a more compassionate, human-centered work environment. But in today’s high-pressure environment, it’s a recipe for burnout. This article offers three areas where managers can shift their lens to a more sustainable type of purpose-driven leadership.


Should Managers Be Coaches, or Is There a Better Option?


This blog post by Sharlyn Lauby discusses a recent article from Fortune titled, “A company replaced all of its managers with coaches. Employees became 20% more productive–and much happier.” While the article is interesting, Sharlyn suggests that rather than replacing managers with coaches, we may be better served by upskilling our managers to incorporate coaching skills into their management capabilities.


Creating Authentic Connections in Virtual Teams


Matriarca, an Argentinian sustainable goods distributor, partnered with the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative (WiN) to improve online collaboration within its remote team using a scientifically validated exercise called “Fast Friends.” The exercise involves asking personal questions that increase intimacy over time, creating trust among participants. This article provides a step-by-step guide for implementing Fast Friends to build authentic connections that drive collective growth in virtual teams.


How AI Will Transform the US Workforce by 2030


This article examines how the rapid development of AI-like generative models will affect the US labor market by 2030. It estimates that up to 30% of work hours could be automated, and 12 million workers may need to switch occupations. This transition will require workers, employers, educators, and policymakers to collaborate to ensure an inclusive workforce transformation. While AI brings concerns, proactively preparing the workforce can lead to positive change.


This month’s leadership bits and bytes covered various topics, from strengthening labor-management relationships to adopting coaching skills as a manager. As always, successful leaders will focus on developing inclusive, resilient, and human-centered organizations.

A Healthcare Labor Saga Comes Out Of (An Oh-So-Brief) Remission

by Kimberly Ricci

It’s no secret that Kaiser Permanente has been ailing in the labor realm. The managed healthcare consortium’s well-publicized 2022 woes initially included the longest U.S. strike by mental health staffers. After 10 weeks, that California walkout ended with no meaningful results and a deal that failed to solve core grievances for 2000+ workers. A concurrent strike by Hawaii mental health workers lasted even longer: 172 days.


One can go round and round looking for a singular cause for Kaiser’s woes, which appear to be a more amplified version of pandemic pain that plagues the entire industry. Staffing shortages and budget shortfalls fester, and an aging U.S. population in need of increased care doesn’t help matters. Last year’s strikes continued for so long that Kaiser members received approval to jump ship for a different insurance plan. 


Subsequently, Kaiser averted a strike by 21,000 nurses in California with a contract that included 22.5% raises over 4 years. Fast forward to 2023, and it’s 2022 all over again:


  • Kaiser workers picketed last week at over 40 facilities in California amid contract talks that began in April ahead of a Sept. 30 contract expiration date. Workers point toward a staffing crisis and continued lengthy appointment wait times for patients. 

  • Picket lines further materialized in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon under the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which collectively represent up to 85,000 frontline workers across seven states and D.C.

  • Kaiser responded to these strikes by accusing the unions of an "attempt to create bargaining leverage.” The consortium also issued a statement about existing "premium" wages for its nurses, who earn up to 10% over local market rates. Thus far, Kaiser has agreed to hire 10,000 more workers before the end of 2023.


More healthcare updates of interest:


In Chicago, three safety-net hospitals (including Loretto Hospital) saw hundreds of workers rally this month outside each facility. And on July 31, 200 Loretto workers formally began to strike. This includes not only nurses but also ER techs, respiratory therapists, and more.


The Ascension hospital network continues to see labor upheavals in Austin, TX and Wichita, KS with nursing unions delivering petitions to management following June strikes. In Wichita, management stressed that "recruitment remains an everyday initiative" and "as of mid-July, a record-setting 141 May 2023 graduate nurses had accepted full-time positions."


Elsewhere: Nurses rallied at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in CA after staffing shortages shut down an ICU for over a month; at St. Mary Medical Center in CA, 370 nurses have quit their jobs since 2021; at Trinity Grand Haven Hospital in MI, workers are prepping for a one-day strike on Aug. 4.


A side note in conclusion: In conflict at several of the above facilities, unions are arguing that a true "nursing shortage" does not exist, although it’s clear that the entire healthcare industry would love to find solutions to what does seem to be a nursing shortage. A recent study found that nursing could see a further exodus of one in three nurses leaving the profession in coming years. No relief is on the horizon yet, so buckle up.

The Emboldened UAW’s ‘Audacious’ Demands For The Detroit Big Three

by Kimberly Ricci

UAW President Shawn Fain has much to prove to union members. Not only must he reinvigorate a formerly mighty yet possibly still corrupt union, but he’s their first directly chosen chief, arguably through a sham election. He’s also a self-professed “reformer” whose recent credits include sell-out deals for the higher-ed realm and Clarios battery plant workers. 


Not exactly smooth moves so far. 


Still, Fain talks tough after previously vowing “war” against “the one and only true enemy,” i.e., the Big Three. He’s also undoubtedly feeling emboldened by the new Teamsters-UPS deal. That development left Sean O’Brien bragging about being called a “Tough SOB,” although the agreement may not be too worker-friendly after all.


The UAW is battling for a new four-year master contract for roughly 150,000 members as the EV battery plant transition looms large. The current agreement expires on Sept. 14, and Fain kicked off negotiations with hefty posturing. 


Those tactics include refusing a customary handshake with the CEOs of Ford, GM, and Stellantis, thereby signaling that these negotiations are somehow different. Fain also boasted about his willingness to wield a $825 million strike fund. The union amped up strike pay to $500 weekly in an effort to prove seriousness. That’s not all.


On Aug. 1, Fain outlined his financial demands through a Facebook Live video, which was likely aimed at the appearance of transparency, given that Fain insisted that he's not a closed-door negotiator. He then promised "the most audacious and ambitious list of proposals” automakers have “seen in decades." 

How audacious, exactly?


Fain is floating a 32-hour workweek for full-timers while also seeking “double-digit” raises. That particular demand sounds like a fantasy; surely, not both goals are simultaneously possible. Here are more of Fain’s demands:

  • Dismantling the two-tier wage structure;

  • Restoring COLA benefits;

  • Giving workers more paid time off;

  • Establishing a right to strike over plant closures;

  • Increasing pension benefits;

  • Using fewer temp workers;

  • Ensuring job security and higher wages for the EV transition.


Fain repeatedly referenced “corporate greed” while declaring that the Big Three can afford these demands due to a $20+ billion combined profit in 2023 so far. Yet, since labor is often the only controllable cost of automakers, don’t expect swift caving.


Now, how hungry are both sides? Fain desperately needs to increase dwindling union membership by building his reputation, and automakers would love to avoid a repeat of 2019’s multi-billion dollar hit. On a more macro level, consider that a UPS strike could have triggered a recession due to essentially halting all shipping. Arguably, there’s not quite as much pressure for that here.


Automaker reactions so far: Stellantis reported a “very productive” discussion with Fain yet wants to avoid a “concessionary agreement.” Whereas Ford looks forward to “creative solutions” to move forward in a “dramatically changing industry.”


Both statements suggest that plenty remains to be hashed out on the financial side, and EV battery-factory pay could be a sticking point. Stay tuned on that final note because we’ll have more to discuss soon.

Links

********

Links For This Week


New NLRB Standards Will Require Even More Employee Handbook 

Updates

Link


NLRB General Counsel's 'Captive Audience' Memo Survives Lawsuit

Link


Union Organizing Still Booming, But Growth Rate Slows

Link


99-Year-Old Trucking Company Yellow Shuts Down, Putting 30,000 Out Of Work 

Link

*********

About Labor Relations INK

Labor Relations INK is published weekly and is edited by Labor Relations Institute, Inc. Feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone you think might enjoy it. New subscribers can sign up by visiting here.


If you use content from this newsletter, please attribute it to Labor Relations Institute and include our website: http://www.LRIonline.com 


Contributing editors for this issue: Phillip Wilson, Greg Kittinger, Michael VanDervort, and Kimberly Ricci 


You are receiving this email because you subscribed to receive our labor relations newsletters and updates. You can manage your email preferences by clicking the link at the bottom of any of our email communications.


About Labor Relations Institute

LRI exists to help our clients thrive and become extraordinary workplaces. We improve the lives of working people by strengthening relationships with their leaders and each other. For over 41 years, LRI has led the labor and employee relations industry, driven by our core values and our proven process, the LRI Way.

 

Share