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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice, July, 2001
Bringing the Union Message into the College Classroom
Teamsters Local Union 926
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Overview of the Project
Assuring that college and university students know and understand the role of organized labor in the United States is a major objective of Teamsters Local Union 926’s school-to-work outreach activities. For the past several years, business representatives of Local 926 have presented information to graduate students in the Master’s of Business Administration program at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At least once a quarter, Local 926 business representatives present information on organized labor, including the Teamsters, focused on the collective bargaining process. Through the use of role playing exercises, students learn about the collective bargaining process by engaging in a simulated contract negotiation activity. The purpose of this activity is to broaden student awareness about the issues that impact negotiations between labor and management groups.
Teamsters Local Union 926 represents more than 1,900 members in Pittsburgh. It’s members serve in a wide array of public and private services and industries including crossing guards, rental car workers, produce workers, and workers in the airline industry (e.g., Fed Ex).
The Need
While business administration graduate training programs provide students with an abundance of managerial knowledge and skills, few graduate students have an understanding of the nature of unions and the collective bargaining process. For the most, part students that enter Master’s of Business Administration training programs only have a cursory understanding of unions and the collective bargaining process, even though it is likely many will find themselves in critical situations where they will need to utilize managerial skills to address union related concerns and issues. In many cases, an increased awareness of the union perspective can make all the difference in securing collective bargaining agreements which equally benefit both union and management goals. Recognizing this need, business representatives from Teamsters Local Union 926, Alex Keddie of Keddie Associates, and Carnegie Mellon’s Professor of Business Administration’s Dr. Rich Young have joined forces to provide graduate level business students with a simulated training activity designed to enhance their awareness of the role of unions in the collective bargaining process. One goal of this Teamster Local Union 926 training activity is to improve the preparation of business managers with regard to increasing their understanding of union issues. However, the primary goal is to help future managers gain a more accurate perception of unions. Because managerial graduate students often tend to have erroneous, stereotypical views of unions, Teamsters Local Union 926 strives to help these student understand that "unions" are comprised of "good, hard-working human beings" who desire nothing more than to improve the quality of living for their families and society as a whole.
Meeting the Need
To increase awareness among future managers about the role of unions, members from Teamsters Local Union 926 conduct simulated collective bargaining activities. Students are provided with actual examples of cases where the collective bargaining process has been used. In one case, students are asked to use their skills to resolve a dispute involving a previously successful business inherited by family members with little knowledge of the business. Because of poor management and neglect, union members became increasingly disenfranchised, resulting in precipitous loss of productivity. Given this scenario, Teamsters Local Union personnel, along with Alex Keddie, lead students through a series of activities in which they demonstrate how the knowledge and expertise of rank and file union workers can be utilized to promote more effective management that eventually leads to higher levels of worker satisfaction and productivity.
In a second scenario, students are introduced to a case that is more national in scope, where they are required to use collective bargaining to resolve a contract dispute involving transportation workers. In both cases, students are presented with tasks in which they are required to apply negotiation skills with a union representative who brings a significant amount of "real world" experiences to the classroom learning experience. According to Charles M. Byrnes, Secretary-Treasurer of Local Union 926, "the use of role playing causes students to put into practice the theories they have learned in their graduate programs and for the first time, have to face someone experienced in the art of collective bargaining."
The Results
As a result of this learning experience, Business Administration students attending Carnegie Mellon have frequently commented on the importance of learning about the difficulty, challenges, and commitment that is needed to reach a fair and equitable agreement through the collective bargaining process. Dr. Rich Young has indicated that the simulation activity has become a "hot topic" in his class and has observed changing attitudes among many of the students. According to Charles M. Byrnes, the experience appears to be particularly rewarding for international students who gain an increased perspective of labor issues in the United States and have the opportunity to make comparisons with their own countries. He also indicated that he has received follow-up calls from former business students who tell him how much they learned from the class. The largest benefit gained by students as a result of this activity, however, is that it exposes them to the labor movement. Mr. Byrnes indicated that the simulations and role playing activities conducted in the classroom help students to understand that, no matter what management positions they assume in the future, students come to realize that it’s in everyone’s best interest to understand the side of labor, since people who work for business organizations can have a significant impact on the direction, and ultimately, the success of the business. As stated by Mr. Byrnes, "That is the lightbulb we want to go off."
Reflections
Bringing the Union Message into the College Classroom program has been conducted by Teamsters Local 926 since 1992. As a result of numerous presentations over the years, the program has developed to a point where few changes are necessary. However, in anticipation of the more widespread use of various technologies, consideration is currently being given to the increased utilization of distance learning approaches in the future. Considering the extent to which the program has added value to the graduate training program, Mr. Charles Byrnes indicates that Brining the Union Message into the College Classroom is a very cost-effective program. Mr. Byrnes stated that, "The only cost to my union is the time I put into it, which about 2-3 hours. Initially, you have to prepare, but after awhile, you get to know the cases pretty well—it’s very cost effective." Based on his experience, Mr. Byrnes indicated that others who wish to replicate Teamster’s Local 926 school-to-work effort is should identify a college or university professor who is interested in providing students with diverse viewpoints, someone who "understands that labor relations is more than what they will find in the book."
More Information
To learn more about Bringing the Union Message into the College Classroom, contact:
Mr. Charles Byrnes, Secretary-Treasurer
Teamsters Local Union-926
625 Stanwix Street Suite1804
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone: (421) 281-4633
* Presented strategies for collaboration and instruction at the Minnesota Paraprofessional Conference, May 4 –5, 2001
* Presented on our project at IDEA Partnership Conference in Washington DC, June 21-23, 2001
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