The Center provides knowledge and skill-based trainings on a variety of workplace subjects. Consistent with the Center’s mission, all workshops are inclusive and designed to address issues in a neutral fashion with the interests of both labor and management in mind. Programs are delivered through regional seminars, at the Center’s training facilities, and can also be customized for delivery on-site at employer and/or union facilities. Workshops vary in length from a few hours to all day and typically are approved for various forms of continuing education credit.
In addition to the Center’s professional staff, faculty for specialized subjects comes from various organizations within higher education, state and federal government, as well as imminently qualified private sector professionals.
Extreme Makeover: Your Labor-Management Relationship
Today's tremendous challenges to labor and management call for strategies to manage relationships, reduce conflict and promote collaboration. This intensive one-day workshop offers valuable resources to provide insight and proven solutions.
Co-sponsored by the Tennessee Labor-Management Center and the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service, this program is designed for union and management representatives in both the public and private sectors. Attendees will be provided the tools, methods, and insights that ca lead to better working relationships, enhanced communication and collaborative problem-solving.
Topics will include:
Understanding Workplace Conflict and Effective Communication
Improved Problem-Solving Strategies by Working Together
Mediation (and not Arbitration) of Grievances
Building Effective Labor-Management Committees
Some of the more frequent training topics include:
Communication and Conflict Management
The concept of conflict management and dispute resolution is central to the Center’s mission. We all know that conflict is natural in the workplace, and often the result of poor communication. This training will provide labor and management representatives with the theory and skills necessary to understand effective communication in the workplace, gain insight on approaches to conflict, and provide techniques for facilitating the resolution of workplace disputes, both within an organization and among employees, management, and labor organizations.
Understanding Employment Discrimination
Discrimination in employment is no longer just a concern of a company’s human resource department. In those instances where discrimination or harassment does occur, the problems arise at the floor level, involving employees, supervisors, and often the union steward. This series of trainings is devoted to giving supervisors, managers, and stewards an awareness of how to recognize, deal with, and hopefully prevent issues of discrimination, harassment and retaliation in the workplace.
Labor Relations Law
A basic understanding of the National Labor Relations Act and its amendments is essential for all individuals in positions of leadership in labor or management organizations. From the representation process, to the duty to bargain in good faith, to the day-to-day administration of the contract, this class will provide those leaders with the knowledge base needed for a stable labor relations climate.
Fundamentals of Traditional Collective Bargaining
Effective labor relations begin at the bargaining table, and productive negotiations in today’s economy requires a thorough understanding of the traditional collective bargaining model. This skill-based training covers the preparation for collective bargaining, establishing economic parameters, effective processes for reaching agreement at the bargaining table, dealing with constituencies, and drafting the agreement.
Back to the Future: Interest-Based Bargaining
As opposed to the traditional collective bargaining model, interest-based bargaining has proven in many cases to be a superior method of reaching consensus in labor-management negotiations. This class is designed to provide participants with the theory and skills on how to approach bargaining from a different perspective by focusing on interests and not positions, improving communication and rapport between the parties, and reaching consensus on an agreement which provides greater stability in the long run.
Improving Your Contract Administration
A collective bargaining agreement is a living document, and regardless of the parties’ best efforts, there will likely be misunderstandings and disagreements about the interpretation of words and phrases. Likewise, administration of a contract requires fair and effective decision-making in the grievance process. This workshop provides parties with a neutral analysis of contract interpretation issues and methods for making the grievance machinery effective.
Fostering Collaboration in Labor–Management Relations
Labor-management partnerships can be an effective tool for improving both relationships and productivity. Whether the focus is on safety, production, quality, or training, this program will provide organizational leaders with the foundational tools necessary for designing and implementing effective joint labor-management partnerships.
Disabilities in the Workplace
Disabilities, whether personal or occupational, are a challenge not only to the affected individual but also to the labor and management organizations to which they belong. To complicate matters further, various state and federal laws impact the rights and responsibilities of all parties in this area. This series of workshops attempts to address the legal and practical issues with state Tennessee workers’ compensation law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Please consult the Calendar of Events link for currently scheduled conferences and seminars.
