Communication is the Key to Good Labor/Management Relations

• NCJ Number: 155685
• Journal: Insight Into Corrections Dated: (April 1995) Pages: 2-8
• Author(s): B Fairchild
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes the relations between managers in the Illinois Department of Corrections and the more than 13,000 employees working for the agency, most of whom belong to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Abstract

Dealing honestly with the different perspectives labor and management bring to the bargaining table encourages understanding and compromise. The high stakes in correctional operations, exacerbated by rising inmate populations and tight financial restraints, demands good relations between labor and management. Good lines of communication, based on the policy of team meetings, help the Illinois DOC maintain those good relations. Some of the issues and programs engendered through cooperative efforts relate to transfer policy, suspension policy, agency-wide policies on attendance and sick leave, and a volunteer overtime program.