The union role in labor-management cooperation

In recent years, many organizations have attempted to introduce and implement programs stressing labor-management cooperation in efforts to improve productivity and quality and to provide employees with a sense of involvement in the decision-making process. Concerns as to whether these cooperative efforts can coexist in situations where firms are unionized have been expressed in the literature and are corroborated by a recent survey. A key element having an impact on the success or failure of these efforts concerns the nature of the labor-management relationship. In the final analysis, broad generalizations may not accurately portray events, and the most compelling evidence pro or con is best determined by a case-by-case approach.