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How to Proceed
Planning and implementing work and family services at the workplace will require determination and commitment. A well-documented case to support the program must be prepared for both members and the employer.
The union may want to first familiarize itself with the subject before approaching management. Here are some preliminary steps you may take:
- Discuss the issue at union meetings and in your newsletters to determine the level of interest among the membership. Before a proposal is presented to the employer, it is essential that the union membership be firmly committed to the issue. It may be necessary to educate your membership on the issues before proceeding to the next step. Membership education is an important way to build support for family-friendly programs.
- Form a work and family committee within the union which should:
- Identify the problems members have in balancing work and family responsibilities. They may include concern about the safety of an elder left alone all day, lack of time during working hours to arrange appointments for an older relative, restrictions on telephone usage, and other inflexible workplace policies which impact on caregiving responsibilities, such as leave policies and work scheduling. Arrange focus groups of several members who are parents or adult children to discuss in detail the problems they are experiencing. This will help you to understand the range of members' problems.
- Identify problems for management, such as low productivity, absenteeism or tardiness. Review disciplinary actions to determine if the cause was related to child care or eldercare. If so, you can present reasons for family-friendly policies that will appeal to management.
- Document your employer's culture and environment:
What is your employer's philosophy toward family-friendly benefits and programs? If your employer is resistant to the idea of employer-sponsored support for parents or adult children, find out why. Are they concerned about equity among employees? Do they lack evidence that the employees need services based at work? Are they worried about the cost of these programs? How are your employer's competitors or other local employers addressing these issues?
- Learn your employer's financial status: Is your employer having financial problems or facing financial uncertainty? Has the employer recently experienced downsizing or reorganization?
- Identify top management officials who may have child care or eldercare responsibilities. These officials often can become champions for family-friendly programs because they need them as well.
- Review your contract and any other employer policies and programs to determine what, if any, programs currently assist caregivers. The Review of Policy Checklist can help.
Once you have collected this information, you should prepare a report of your findings. Your report should illustrate the need for family-friendly programs and policies and recommend the types of programs that are needed. It is at this point that the union needs to discuss what strategy it will use in approaching management.
There are two ways you can proceed: 1) decide what specific services you want and negotiate for them at the next contract negotiations; or 2) negotiate for a joint labor-management work and family committee (see steps outlined in "Negotiate for a Labor-Management Committee").
If you decide on the first option, then you would also follow the steps outlined for the labor-management committee; however, after step 5, you would prepare specific proposals for negotiation, including cost estimates.
Be prepared to answer some objections to setting up a work and family program. See Appendix A: Overcoming Common Objections to Work and Family Programs.
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