LABOR-MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP A REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT

United States Office of Personnel Management

LABOR-MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP
A REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT
December 2000

Section II - Labor-Management Strategic Planning

In his memorandum reaffirming partnership, President Clinton directed agencies to develop a strategic labor-management plan with their unions to help achieve the goals established in Executive Order 12871 and the memorandum. OPM's guidance asked agencies to either submit their completed labor-management strategic plan, submit a plan in progress, or report on projected planning activities.

Little progress has been made in this area, although OPM believes this is understandable given how recently the planning requirement was imposed. Sixteen agencies reported no current planning efforts but did indicate they would be preparing plans sometime in the future. Thirteen agencies did not report anything in this category. Only 6 agencies submitted labor-management plans while 2 agencies submitted plans that are still in development (we also received one bureau-level plan and one local plan). Even some of the completed plans were vague and contained no specific action items.

Here are some leading examples of labor-management strategic planning:

Each year since 1994, the US Mint (part of the Treasury Department) and the AFGE Mint Council have jointly developed the agency's strategic business plan. In addition to broad statements of principle-- a mission statement, a vision statement, several guiding principles -- the strategic plan sets specific production and efficiency goals, provides a clear strategy for meeting those goals, and explains how results will be measured. This commitment to labor-management strategic planning has helped the Mint produce record numbers of coins and return record profits to the taxpayer.
The Department of Transportation Partnership Council has fostered a strategic approach to labor-management relations resulting in the development of a Labor Relations Strategic Plan, the first of its kind in a multi-union environment. The plan establishes clearly defined goals, outcomes, strategies, and tactics to help align partnership and labor-management relations efforts with the Department's overall strategic direction.
The Environmental Protection Agency's first Labor-Management Partnership Strategic Plan and Operational Guidance was developed collaboratively by labor and management and was reviewed by all of EPA's senior managers and the officers of all unions at the agency. The plan identifies three long-term objectives that EPA and its unions believe will contribute significantly to the goal of increased labor-management collaboration. First, labor and management will use pre-decisional involvement as a mechanism to help EPA and its employees accomplish the agency's mission. Second, the parties will significantly increase collaboration on Section 7106(b)(1) subjects and seek opportunities where collaboration on (b)(1) subjects can yield significant gains for EPA. Finally, the parties will strengthen their commitment to work together to build constructive, cooperative labor-management relationships at all locations across the agency and will treat one another with the utmost respect and consideration at all times.
Ft. McCoy is an Army training and mobilization site. An Executive Steering Committee made up of representatives from management and AFGE Local 1882 is responsible for Ft. McCoy's annual strategic business plan. The plan describes the organization's vision, goals and values, and details exactly how the goals will be realized through the use of Functional Operating Plans.

Table of Content

To OPM Web Site Index
To OPM Home Page

Page updated on January 12, 2000