# Presentation: 131011

## 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

**Notes:**
Barb

## 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

**Notes:**
Barb

## Slide 3

**Notes:**
Umar

## Zoological Society of Philadelphia

**Notes:**
Matt
The Zoological Society of Philadelphia is a private non-profit corporation with an annual operating budget of $22 million (US).  A volunteer board of directors develops policy while a CEO, a COO and 9 senior staff members manage operations.  The workforce consists of both union and non-union employees separated into multiple departments based upon job classifications and duties.  Union employees currently represent about half of the full-time staff.  Please note that there are more departments than depicted in this slide.  Only the departments containing Union employees are listed and are done so in yellow.

## 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 - ?

**Notes:**
Matt
The Union employees at the Zoo were organized in 1968 and are represented by AFSCME Local 752.  This presentation will focus on the relationship from 1992 to present with each of the listed topics being explored in some detail.  

## HEALTH AND WELFARE FUND

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

**Notes:**
Umar

## Fund Termination

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

**Notes:**
Umar

## 1996 Negotiations

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

**Notes:**
Matt
The 1996 contract negotiations were quite difficult at times.  We utilized positional bargaining to reach agreement.  Many important and highly charged issues were discussed.  We made a major change in our medical plan by switching from an indemnity plan to a preferred provider organization.  We consolidated holiday, vacation and personal time into annual leave.  We relaxed our sick time policy to cover planned medical appointments.  We removed our security guard force from the bargaining unit.  We established “performance-based”positions which directly challenged the notion of seniority rule.  The final topic we discussed was the elimination of the Foreman position because of the ineffective nature of the job supervising fellow union members.  It was ultimately decided to leave the position as it was with the Union supporting these staff and training the rank & file on the Foreman’s responsibilities. The parties reached agreement shortly before the existing contract expired.  The union members unanimously ratified the agreement.

## Post 1996 NegotiationsRelationship Deteriorates	

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

**Notes:**
Umar

## 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

**Notes:**
Umar

## 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

**Notes:**
Barb

## RBOJoint Task Force Structure

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

**Notes:**
Barb

## RBO Techniques

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

**Notes:**
Barb

## 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.”

**Notes:**
Matt
At the end of the RBO retreat, not only did we bring back 20 objectives, but we developed and all signed the following mission statement...”read the statement”

## Bringing it Back

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

**Notes:**
Matt
After the RBO retreat the real challenge was to bring this process back to the staff left back at the Zoo.  The standard reaction was “we’ve seen these things before and they never work.”  The truth of the matter was they hadn’t seen this program before and they hadn’t seen this level of commitment by the parties before either.  Each retreat participant was co-chairing at ;east two objective committees and needed to find 2-4 additional members from Zoo staff.  I believe staff started to buy in to the program when they saw how much time and energy was being dedicated and when they had an opportunity to hear retreat participants tell the story first hand.  The “leap of faith” here and in the case study refers to a position taken by management whereby they trusted that communications and activity on “company time” where necessary and beneficial to both the employees and the Zoo’s business interests.  Another example of commitment was the resolution by mediation of 90% of outstanding grievances.  The bottom line here is that all parties were now free and encouraged to speak their mind.

## 1998 – 1999 Initiatives

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

**Notes:**
Barb

## 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

**Notes:**
Umar

## Post-1999 NegotiationsRelationship Maintained

- Need to “take a rest”
- Changes in key Management Staff
- 2000 – AFSCME Local 752 Elections

**Notes:**
Matt

## 2001- A New Beginning

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

**Notes:**
Barb

## Observations and “Lessons Learned”

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