Dr. Maccoby participates in a Weekly Forum on Washington Post.com called "On Leadership". I am compiling all of his responses to the weekly questions here.
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DATE: May 2, 2009 Newspaper Showdown in Boston The Boston Globe has informed its unions it will close in 60 days unless its union agree to major cost cuts -- a not uncommon occurrence in the newspaper business these days. What advice would you offer to leaders of the paper and its unions about brinksmanship and winning at make-or-break negotiations? |
Shared Sacrifice
My experience working with unions and management is that cooperation depends on mutual respect, transparency, and shared sacrifice. Possibly, management can scare the union into accepting its terms by threatening to close the paper. The result would be an angry and resentful staff.
The alternative requires management to be fully open about the business, revenues and costs, future expectations and what it would take to sustain the business. The union should be invited to suggest ideas for improving the bottom line. Furthermore, if union members accept cuts in salary and benefits, so should management.
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