Source: Robert Moll, HR Pulse Magazine, Summer 2013
Many hospitals and health systems are asking their employees to help balance budgets as the hospitals work to implement elements of health care reform, operate with lower government and commercial reimbursements, and adjust to higher benefit costs. For those with unionized employees, often this means concessionary labor negotiations that may lead to corporate campaigns, picketing, and strikes.
Historically, employers have allowed unions to control the story about labor-management relations. Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), employers have limited means to mitigate union activities. But employers can tell their side of the story and increasingly more are choosing to do that. Federal labor law guarantees employers the right of free speech, which includes the right to communicate directly with employees during negotiations about collective bargaining and related issues. Through frequent and timely communications with internal and external stakeholders, employers can put the reality of their situation in context by explaining the rationale for their contract proposals. This helps build an employer’s narrative before it is necessary to react or respond to union rhetoric. …