Negotiating Labor Strikes
Striking out
In Canada, the City of Toronto’s workers are on strike after a breakdown in labor negotiations with the city.
At issue are job security, benefits, and other union demands. The strike will stop garbage pick up in Toronto, as well as several other municipal services.
A strike to show unhappiness with labor negotiations is not unusual. In this case, a strike that affects a basic and necessary service such as garbage removal is bound to stir up discontent and discomfort, which in turn will create pressure on the City of Toronto to go back to the negotiating table. Many workers’ unions have used strikes as a pressure tactic to regain traction in labor negotiations that are deadlocked.
Are strikes a good negotiating tactic? While we are not advocating striking, we do know that strikes, as Dr. Chester Karrass says, are maneuvers that can impact the negotiation process. Karrass writes that strikes “affect the expectation of the parties and alter the balance of power.”
In his book, Give and Take: The Complete Guide to Negotiating Strategies and Tactics, Dr. Karrass goes on to say that strikes are a phase in negotiations. Negotiations may go on during or after a strike, but “the estimates of probable costs are sharpened by reality. The biggest difference is that both parties convey their resolve by accepting the real costs in preference to a deal that they don’t like. They test each other’s strength and resolve in the marketplace of suffering.”
In essence, strikes are designed to tip the balance of power and to create an environment that is more favorable to concessions.
We will see how long the garbage strike goes on in Toronto. By targeting this essential service, the strikers know that pressure will build quickly. It remains to be seen how many concessions Toronto will make in order to stop the strike.
Do you think that strikes are a good tactic? Please share thoughts in the comments.
In Canada, the City of Toronto’s workers are on strike after a breakdown in labor negotiations with the city.
At issue are job security, benefits, and other union demands. The strike will stop garbage pick up in Toronto, as well as several other municipal services.
A strike to show unhappiness with labor negotiations is not unusual. In this case, a strike that affects a basic and necessary service such as garbage removal is bound to stir up discontent and discomfort, which in turn will create pressure on the City of Toronto to go back to the negotiating table. Many workers’ unions have used strikes as a pressure tactic to regain traction in labor negotiations that are deadlocked.
Are strikes a good negotiating tactic? While we are not advocating striking, we do know that strikes, as Dr. Chester Karrass says, are maneuvers that can impact the negotiation process. Karrass writes that strikes “affect the expectation of the parties and alter the balance of power.”
In his book, Give and Take: The Complete Guide to Negotiating Strategies and Tactics, Dr. Karrass goes on to say that strikes are a phase in negotiations. Negotiations may go on during or after a strike, but “the estimates of probable costs are sharpened by reality. The biggest difference is that both parties convey their resolve by accepting the real costs in preference to a deal that they don’t like. They test each other’s strength and resolve in the marketplace of suffering.”
In essence, strikes are designed to tip the balance of power and to create an environment that is more favorable to concessions.
We will see how long the garbage strike goes on in Toronto. By targeting this essential service, the strikers know that pressure will build quickly. It remains to be seen how many concessions Toronto will make in order to stop the strike.
Do you think that strikes are a good tactic? Please share thoughts in the comments.
Labels: Case Studies
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6:41 PM
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