Outreach

From an ethical perspective, creating decision processes that give voice to all stakeholders — including all employees — represents recognition of the value that everyone contributes to organizational success.

The same inclusive processes also contribute mightily to organizations’ bottom-line success, whether measured in dollars and cents or in the case of government and not-for-profit entities, desired policy outcomes. The following articles explain the value of these types of partnerships.

• Clark, Paul F. and Darlene A. Clark. “Union Strategies for Improving Patient Care:  The Key to Nurse Unionism.” Labor Studies Journal, Vol. 31, No. 1, Spring 2006, pp. 51-70.
• Lazes, Peter J, Maria Figueroa, and Liana Katz.  2012.  How Labor-Management Partnerships Improve Patient Care, Cost Control, and Labor Relations: Case Studies of Fletcher Allen Health Care, Kaiser Permanente, and Montefiore Medical Center’s Care Management Corporation.  Report, Cornell ILR School. Url: https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/74334

LER’s Labor School has initiated projects in this regard, initially focusing on healthcare. The purposes are to improve patient care, improve working conditions for frontline staff, and control costs. All of these improvements would also assist healthcare organizations — for-profit, not-for-profit and governmental — to more effectively attract and retain staff. And the partnerships that can emerge in the context of labor-management environments can be particularly valuable in promoting more cooperative relationships in other areas of mutual concern.

For a more exhaustive representation of this initiative, you can visit the location at the LER’s Labor School’s website.