Reasons Why Managers Oppose Public Sector Unions

Author: Dr. John Sullivan

Source:  http://www.ere.net/2011/03/07/reasons-why-managers-oppose-public-sector-unions/

Reasons Why Managers Oppose Public Sector Unions

The ongoing public-sector collective bargain rights controversy in Wisconsin reminds us how emotive this issue can be. In this article Dr. John Sullivan a professor of Management at San Francisco State University takes a non-partisan look on why public-sector managers resist unions. I will highlight some of what I think are very compelling reasons;

1. Long-term contracts can limit flexibility required by public managers to make major changes in response to fast changing economic realities.

2. Work rules can limit reengineering and innovation, strict work rules usually do not allow managers to reengineer their departments and redesign jobs in response to budget cuts or for innovation reasons

3. "Members first" values can limit technology - public-sector unions are by definition advocates of their members. Unions and their members usually engage in efforts to slow down implementation of new technologies, thus sacrificing efficiency and reduced costs in production.

4. In a monopoly situation, strikes can cripple -public sector officials are more pressured to succumb to the demands of unions because government agencies usually operate as a monopoly and strikes can really damage the community.

5.  Job security as a value may reduce necessary terminations - Strong union support may lead to severe restrictions on firing poor performers.

In my opinion Dr. Sullivan has presented a fair case why public sector union representation might not be in the best interest of the Tax Payers.  However I still believe both parties can benefit from a well structured contract, which protects workers rights and also benefits the public sector organizations. This can only be achieved if both sides stay away from emotional arguments and focus on the core issues.