What are the components of managing in a union environment?

Resources

Info, How To, and FAQ's Tools, Forms, Checklists, etc. Policies, Procedures, Laws, Contacts
FAQ's: Union Representation and Contract Negotiations Job Title and Pay Information for Staff Personnel Policies for Staff
How To's and Guidance: UCI Labor and Employee Relations UC Office of Labor Relations Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA)
Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)
Union contracts

ANSWER

Managing in a work environment containing both represented and non-represented staff involves the ability to understand the issues and complexities of both types of environments.

Specific to the union environment, Human Resource units whose primary responsibility is to liaison between bargaining units, employees and UC management are tasked with providing support and guidance on fair labor practices and contract negotiations which includes responsibility for the following areas: 

  • Union relations
  • Contract administration and interpretation
  • Policy administration and interpretation
  • Grievance and staff complaint administration
  • Union business leave/time administration
  • Requests for information
  • contract bargaining

Contact your Campus Human Resources Business Officer for assistance, advice, and guidance in these or other staff relation issues.

Common Labor and Employee Relations Questions

Definitions

Collective Bargaining Agreements are contracts negotiated by the union and the employer containing the terms and conditions defining the employment relationship between represented employees in the bargaining unit and the employer.

Grievance is a claim that the University has violated a specific provision of the Collective Bargaining Agreement during the term of the Agreement.

Grievance procedures are a mechanism for challenging perceived violations of the employer/employee agreement. The procedure provides agreed upon methods and structure for resolving grievances in a timely manner that includes employee representation, fair and unbiased investigations with no reprisal.  

Access Rights refers to the rights unions have to access employees in the workplace in order to fulfill duties for fair representation; and to organize employees. There are provisions within UCI policies that define the University’s reasonable regulations on this access. 

Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) is a statewide organization that oversees elections, holds hearings, makes decisions regarding unfair labor practices, and administers seven statutes that govern collective bargaining for state employees.

Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA) was passed in 1979 and established collective bargaining (“meeting and conferring”) to the California State University System, the University of California System, and Hastings College of Law regarding wages, hours, and working conditions.