Brief Introduction

There are many challenges for public sector unions.   There are some significant issues looming that could prove to be extremely challenging for public sector unions.  In addition, public sector unions may need to employ creative strategies to remain legitimate and strong into the future.

Part 1- Challenges for Public Sector Unions

Historically, both private sector unions and public sector unions have played a significant historical role in providing labor more rights, better working conditions, and better pay.  Over time, public sector unions emerged to improve workers’ pay, protection, and work conditions.  Today, the percentage of public sector workers in a union is 35%, while the percentage of private sector workers in a union have fallen from its peak of 35% in the 1950s to 6.5% today.   There are many challenges facing public sector unions.

Public sector unions do suffer from some negative perceptions, including giving rise to unproductive workers and creating tensions with management.   However, in these past five years, public sector unions have also served the interests of many employees, including such employee groups as teachers, nurses, law enforcement, and firefighters.  Public sector unions have therefore protected a significant number of people in the public workforce. The negative perceptions of public sector unions therefore are not entirely accurate and true.  For instance, one of the charges against public sector unions is that poorly performing employees cannot be terminated.   This is not accurate or true, as such employees can be terminated, but they have protections, like due process of law, and others, that make the process lengthy.

In the past five years, public sector unions have also been under tremendous pressure to increase the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to settle disputes with management.   The use of ADR encourages greater cooperation between employees and managers.   It is sometimes challenging for public sector unions to embrace ADR because of the perceptions of it favoring management.

Another challenge for public sector unions has been the charge that they are too involved with politics.   For example, in the State of Wisconsin, a major dispute arose about public sector unions contributing to certain political candidates to attempt to achieve political support and political advantages for their unions.

An additional challenge for public sector unions has been growing fiscal pressures and growing taxpayers’ hostility towards them.  Union goals are different than management goals.  Yet, these public organizations must address the need to address fiscal responsibilities and issues together.  It can result in unions and management being at odds over performance standards and future public organization objectives.

Privatization and limited government growth is another challenge for public sector unions.  In the past five years, privatization has substantially increased in government.   It means reducing the size of government operations and contracting work out to private firms.  This has slowed the growth of government.

Part 2- Future Issues that Could Challenge Public Sector Unions

One of the future issues that could challenge public sector unions is the impact of the changing labor force, and how private sector unions have dramatically decreased in recent years.  This puts pressure on public sector unions in terms of their legitimacy in the future.  This public perception of unions is clearly changing, and despite the relative strength of public sector unions to private sector unions, this represents a significant future challenge.

Right to work laws have significantly pressured unions in both the private sector and public sector.   Public sector unions are being challenged to no longer require mandatory union membership for public employees in areas like the police, sanitation, and education.

Another future issue challenging public sector unions is fiscal constraints.  The rising costs of unionized labor has become a major issue.   States have been struggling to finance unionized labor pensions and health care plans.  It puts tremendous pressure on these public sector unions to negotiate changes in these arrangements.   States can no longer afford to pay these pension plans to retired unionized employees. These public sector unions must recognize that they have to reduce their demands and pressures on state governments in order to ensure their own survival and legitimacy in the future.

For example, California remains an employee-friendly state with strong public sector unions, but other states have legislatures that are passing right to work laws and demanding that unions be weakened.  There is a trend towards implementing the “right to work” mentality.  In a greater number of states, changes in state legislature also have reduced the public sector union’s ability to collect fees from nonmembers.

Part 3- Union Strategies to Be Effective

One of the union strategies to be more effective is to upgrade and improve their standards of performance for employees to avoid this controversy about poorly performing employees not losing their jobs.  For example, this controversy is found in the State of California involving teacher unions.  Parents can complain about a poorly performing teacher, but find themselves unable to have that teacher removed because of union protections and union rules.

Another union strategy to be more effective is to support employee-friendly initiatives.  It means establishing closer, more open communications between union leaders and employees about the employee contract.  It would advance better awareness among union employees about the terms and conditions of the employee contract.

A third union strategy to be more effective in the public sector organizations is to establish arrangements between union leaders and management to permit greater communications and exchanges of vital information.

Finally, another effective union strategy would be to shift the focus of their collective bargaining strategies to focus on wages and better health benefits to seeking ways to improve their workers’ knowledge, training, and skills.  By offering programs that elevate their workers’ knowledge bases and skills, then unions can be seen as a way to improve the workers’ lives and career hopes.

Brief Conclusion

Therefore, public sector unions face many challenges today and in the future.   Public sector unions must recognize that public perception of unions has grown largely negative.   The private sector unions have rapidly declined.   The negative views and perceptions of unions must be addressed by effective strategies of change for public sector unions.   These strategies include improving their functions and sources for workers to benefit by improving their skills and capabilities.

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