Imagine a high-performing employee is suddenly disciplined for a minor infraction that "everyone does."

By the morning, the environment is tense, productivity looks to drop, and both sides are digging in their heels for a fight.

A Union Steward could immediately file a grievance, claiming prejudice and inconsistent enforcement. Management may stand by their "management right" to enforce new safety protocols strictly.

How do you de-escalate this before it hits an expensive arbitration hearing?

Was the negotiation of the original safety policy flawed?

How can both sides move from this confrontation back to a collaborative partnership?

Bridging the Gap: Mastering Union-Management Relations

Welcome to a dynamic, one-day course designed to transform how you navigate the workplace.

We’ll start by tracing the history of labor relations to understand how we got here, while clarifying the essential management rights that keep operations running.

The heart of this course is about a fundamental shift: moving away from the "us vs. them" mentality and learning how to build effective, collaborative relationships. We will dive deep into the art of negotiation and the impact of prejudice in decision-making, ensuring you have the tools to handle grievances with professionalism.

Finally, we’ll demystify arbitration, showing you exactly why some disputes escalate and how to resolve them before they reach a third-party judge.

A glimpse at our content

Enroll to see ALL the amazing content in our library.

  • Management Rights

    To determine what work will be done, when it will be done, and who will perform the work. Management also has the right to set rules that employees have to follow. Understand that the collective agreement is a contract and as such is owned every bit as much by the company as it is by the union.

  • Common Management Mistakes

    Managers and supervisors need to know their collective agreement, and when unsure seek advice. Avoid using the collective agreement as a form of power to force your employees into compliance, instead use it as a framework everyone must operate within. And, good communication is answering the question “Why?”

  • Negotiation and Grievances

    Explore the strategic art of negotiation to reach sustainable collective bargaining agreements, while developing the technical skills necessary to manage and resolve formal grievances effectively.

  • Prejudice and Arbitration

    Examine the role of prejudice and implicit bias in the workplace, exploring how these factors impact labor relations and the pursuit of an equitable environment. Demystify the arbitration process by understanding the legalities of binding third-party dispute resolution.

What You'll Actually Learn

Your tangible takeaways, absorbed into your 🧠 by our amazing instructional design and delivered by our awesome facilitators.

  • Identify management rights in an union environment.

  • Recognize how to build effective relationships between union and management.

  • Utilize effective negotiation skills.

This is where MCE excels and adds value to all our leadership training

Important stuff you may not otherwise experience in training

  • A Real Workbook

    Great leaders don’t just speak — they reflect, write, and rethink. Our visual decks are a treat to your eyes, and our workbook challenges your mind and muscle memory. As they say, the best ideas start with a blank page. Ours just happens to have some helpful prompts.

  • Expert Facilitation

    Our approach is all about facilitating learning experiences that don’t just inform, but inspire. We blend solid instructional design with real-world relevance, spicing things up with content tailored to the client’s unique industry, challenges, and goals. Think of it as training that doesn’t just talk at learners, but talks to them, using scenarios, language, and examples they actually recognize from their jobs.

  • Experiential Learning

    Lectures lose people. Experiences move them. You'll move yourself and your whole team forward together. Theory tells you what leadership should look like. Experiential learning shows you what it feels like.

“A very tricky topic that can bring about a significant level of anxiety, but the networking and discussion that came through during the course was invaluable and I think aids in the comfort level of those involved in negotiations, collective bargaining, and the arbitration process.”

Stephanie Carruth | Founder, Primary Consultant, HR Specialist

Minds for Matter Inc.

The Next Cohort of Union Management Leaders is Interested in You!
Why do grievances reach arbitration? How does prejudice impact negotiation? Can collaboration protect rights?

MCE specializes in creating custom cohorts for organizations with multiple people identified as future leaders ready to grow.

We also offer 'Open Seat' cohorts in some of our popular leadership courses, which is perfect for an individual(s) looking to learn alongside peers, share experiences, and build skills in a supportive, real-world-focused environment. ⁣
I'm Interested in Union Management Relations! OR EXPLORE OUR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS
Participant Workbook
Expert Facilitation
Experiential Learning