When a transition of this size occurs, an organization faces employee uncertainty regarding job stability and future growth opportunity. As two corporations that place high value on employee satisfaction, Ameritech and Johnson Controls recognized the importance of union negotiations and employee communications throughout this transition process.
Labor relations can be a complicated issue and our situation was no different.
What was different, however, is how easily employee questions and hesitations were addressed, and contracts negotiated. That's what counts. Labor contract negotiations and Ameritech employee hiring took place simultaneously under a temporary agreement with the unions. While most corporations in similar situations face downtime during this process, the quality of Ameritech's building environments were immediately improved. What's amazing about this entire transition is that our building environments and tenant service capabilities are increasingly being upgraded.