Why We Need Labor-Management Partnerships in School Reform West Coast Labor Management Institute October 27, 2010 Saul Rubinstein Rutgers University

Institution for Conflicting Interests: Collective Bargaining 1. U M

Institution for common interests? UM (Teaching Quality and Student Achievement)

Mass Production SManagement Labor Thinks Does Divide Complex Knowledge into Simple Parts Create Standards for Each Part Separate Classes of Employees: Thinkers & Doers Invent Management for Division of Labor & Compliance

Yet, Education is: 1.Collaborative not Individual Enterprise 2.Conducted by Highly Skilled Professionals

School Reform Necessitates a Shift from Mass Production Organization 1.Reintegration of Taylor’s division of labor – “thinking” and “doing” 2.Increased importance of all employees’ input  Voice, participation, problem-solving  No Contribution Left Behind - NCLB 3.Employees not interchangeable parts - Professionals 4.Greater responsibility for quality outcomes vs. jobs 5.Team-based structures – Group vs. Individual Focus 6.Decentralized site-based decision-making

Why Partnership? 1.Quality of Decisions 2.Quality of Implementation 3.Motivation through Voice  Full Participation  Partial Participation  Pseudo Participation

Creating Successful Partnerships Leadership Culture of Involvement Strategy for Improved Quality and Professionalism Structures - New Roles for Union Leaders Skills – problem solving/selection, decision making, managerial processes, finance, planning, quality, meeting leadership, IBB/MGB Enabling Language: top-down and bottom-up

Implications for Locals & Districts Engaging in Partnerships Partnership as a vehicle, not an end in itself Management as a task not class of employees Balance representation and partnership roles/management Acquire new skills and capacities – technical, strategic, process, research, managing change Rethinking Local Structures & Roles & Resources Mobilize & organize members Flexibility, Responsiveness, Quality Leverage Embeddeness in Operations Political Skills Capability to Expand/Cross Boundaries – National Union, State, School District, Community

Obstacles to Partnership Success Lack of Alignment between Partnership and Strategic Objectives of the Organization Focus on HR vs. Operations Resistance - Middle Management and Union Reps Lack of Capacity for Sophisticated Partnering at 3 Levels – School, CB, and District/Strategic Pseudo Decision Making Failure to Balance Representation with Managing the Organization Unsuccessful Leadership Transition Economic Decline

Sustaining Partnerships Strategic Alignment – Improvement Planning Collaborative Structures at All Organizational Levels Building Dense Communication Networks – Vertical and Horizontal Confronting and Overcoming Pivotal Events Maintaining Tension between Collaborative Work and Conflictual Creating Joint Gains - Performance and Quality Ongoing Training and Skill Development - Capacity Leadership Succession – Union and Management Managing across boundaries - Community Institutionalize

Questions 1.Can we achieve improvement/reform of education without collaboration/partnership? 2.What do you need to create locally in order to support a partnership? 3.What activities can you envision that would help extend the partnership throughout all levels of the district and the union?