Since the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act appears to be a matter of if not when, it behooves GRC leaders — particularly those in industries ripe for union activity — to ensure that their staffs include sufficient labor relations expertise. (By the way, I don’t link to Wikipedia lightly; its relative objectivity is useful in this case and it offers links to subjective interpretations.)

Labor relations practitioners assert that nothing cultivates expertise like on-the-job experience. Negotiating a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with a single union that represents 300 to 400 employees financially commits a company to millions of dollars over the course of the agreement. The stakes are high, the conditions are intimidating, and the experience is incredibly valuable.

However, not all companies with union activity can afford to assign a junior GRC or HR manager to an experience mentor. In some cases, there are no experienced mentors on staff.

There are other developmental options, however.

Bernard Ruesgen, SPHR, is group manager, training and DC HR, for Sports Authority. He worked as a union business agent before being hired as a labor relations specialist by a former negotiating opponent. Ruesgen believes there are several opportunities to strengthen labor relations skills before the heat of battle — if mentoring experiences are unavailable.

These include:

Peer Reviews: Union grievance procedures and peer view processes share many similar dynamics.

Grant Writing and Reviewing: Volunteering for an agency that administers or applies for grants requires GRC or HR professionals to read through massive documents to understand dozens of requirements and specifications — which are qualities that also describe most labor contracts.

Public Service: Ruesgen says his service on the county planning commission, the city human relations commission, county development board, and other local boards taught him to “look at both sides and understand where these competing interests are.” The frequently contentious nature of the interactions helped him a) hone his negotiating-table skills; and b) better weigh competing interests against established rules. ###