Labor and Management Work Together in Connecticut's Vocational Technical Schools to Create a Safer School Environment

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Labor announced recently in its report, Working Together for Public Service, that a study of about fifty public workplaces found that labor-management cooperation and employee participation lead to dramatic improvements in quality, costs and delivery of service. The Task Force, comprised of fourteen elected officials, labor leaders and academics, was unanimous in the view that public workplaces must change from traditional ways of doing business and move toward workplace cooperation, participation, and quality improvement. The Task Force believes that the public sector offers significant opportunity for employee participation and labor-management cooperation. The Report recommends that case studies should be produced for others to analyze and learn from and to serve as objective resources of non-advocacy information. Edward Cohen-Rosenthal and Cynthia E. Burton write in the Second Edition, Revised, of Mutual Gains: A Guide to Union-Management Cooperation, that the basic notion that unions and employers should seek out their common interests and build on them has not changed, but that today, there is not any real choice for either party. The Connecticut Department of Education, Regional Vocational-Technical School System and the Connecticut State Vocational Federation of Teachers' recent experience in creating a labor-management partnership that works is particularly timely in light of current recognition of the need for and potential benefits of labor-management cooperation. Furthermore, the project addresses an issue that is by no means unique to Connecticut. Two important news announcements appeared in October 1995. was the Connecticut Department of Education's bulletin announcing that Connecticut's Regional Vocational-Technical School System (RVTSS) and the State Vocational Federation of Teachers (SVFT) had secured a $100,000 federal grant from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to promote a safe and supportive learning environment in the state's seventeen school RVTSS. Key objectives are to increase conflict management skills; increase classroom management skills, and the time spent on teaching rather than discipline; decrease the number of student disciplinary incidents; and to improve the school environment. The program, developed by the Management Team of the RVTSS, the Department's Bureau of Human Resources and the SVFT, includes creation of a conflict management program and safety training for teachers, counselors and staff administrators, together with a strong evaluation component. State Education Commissioner Theodore S. Sergi was quoted as saying that safe, secure schools are a top priority and that the thoughtful planning that went into the development of the program demonstrates that management and the leadership of the SVFT share a strong commitment to that priority. He added that the federal funds will make a difference, and that the work carried out under the grant will provide a model for other school districts to follow. SVFT President Aaron Silvia also expressed strong support for the program. He said, One of the great benefits of this effort will be that teachers who have been trained in conflict management and who use these skills every day in the schools will serve as role models for students. We will be teaching by example that conflict can be resolved constructively. And we will be creating a safe schools environment for everyone. The other news bulletin was a notice in Public Service Reporter, a publication of the Federation of Public Employees, AFT, AFL-CIO, that explained that the FPE affiliate and the state plan to use their grant to improve teacher and student productivity by reducing violence in the schools and teaching conflict management skills. The public announcements marked the beginning of a labor management partnership to address a vital issue in the RVTSS, but the true beginning occurred much earlier. Before the cooperative venture could start, someone needed to come up with the idea and the parties, including top management, had to be convinced of its value and feasibility. …