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Social service administration and the challenge of unionization.
Abstract
Despite arguments in favor of unionization, stereotypes held by both workers and management are complex and often tied to ideological underpinnings. Perhaps the most common stereotype is that unions are inherently anti-management and thus set up an adversary relationship between labor and management. This idea is grounded in the belief that the aim of unions is to foster conflict rather than collaboration. If the current malaise affecting social workers (i.e., burnout, high worker turnover, low morale, and so forth) is to be rectified, these problems must be addressed through changes in the workplace. Traditional and hierarchical forms of labor-management relations must give way to enlightened notions of cooperation between employees and managers. This new cooperation must be grounded in a complementarity of goals between labor and management--goals that center around the best interests of clients. Moreover, a new form of labor-management relations should be based on a system of fair and equitable wages and a respect for professional autonomy and judgment. Lastly, progressive employee-management relations inevitably lead to the need to reconceptualize the nature of work.
Journal
(1989)
vol13
no3-4
pages199-218
Categories
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Personnel
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Personnel Management
