After all, organizers usually are responding to a call from a few dissatisfied employees. Unions often characterize such workplace complaints as the norm in order to expand their membership. They create a community that promises protection from management by becoming a counter-force to arbitrary behavior and unilateral decisions. Since unions and management are competing for the allegiance of the same individuals, election campaigns are competitive and contentious. The rhetoric of a campaign often becomes personal, creating anger, distrust and a desire to get even.
Managers fear losing decision-making control if a union campaign is successful.
The atmosphere of distrust continues during contract negotiations. Managers generally resist union contract proposals, which they believe will limit managerial flexibility and make achieving agency goals and objectives difficult. In this sort of relationship, unions and management make no attempt to identify common interests or goals. They focus on correcting problems with little or no thought about increasing productivity and creating a workplace that satisfies employees and managers. Bargaining for More Traditional bargaining has generally focused on pay and benefits.