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Abstract
This paper explores how union negotiations in worker-owned co-ops compare to more traditional labor negotiations. The theoretical analysis addresses possible synergies between practices traditionally considered as alternative, employee ownership and collective bargaining, and the development of collective bargaining in new business models. Initially, the theoretical framework that provides the basis for the comparison – the dispute resolution theories of distributive versus interest-based bargaining – is described. Interviews with several participants in union co-op collective bargaining suggest that many negotiations are more similar to interest-based negotiations than traditional labor negotiations. Additionally, some collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) reference interest-based negotiations. The paper then addresses whether union co-op labor negotiations, implementation of the resultant CBAs, or both, have the potential to address some of the grand challenges of our times differently than traditional negotiations. Many of the CBAs explicitly recognize the interests of community as important. Many of the negotiations involve high levels of worker-participation, and the CBAs contain various types of provisions promoting democratic decision-making and political participation. Union co-op negotiations, thus, appear to hold significant promise toward enabling workers to more fully participate in political democracy and civil society. Some union co-op CBAs address advancing technology with an interest-based approach. None explicitly address how to redistribute wealth as work becomes more automated. On the other hand, the CBAs do not generally suggest more active measures to combat systemic race discrimination but rather reflect a similar commitment to nondiscrimination in the workplace that results from traditional negotiations. A few of the CBAs reflect a commitment to environmental sustainability; none explicitly address the dramatic social and economic shifts occurring because of climate change.
Keywords
Worker-owned cooperative, Collective bargaining, Interest-based negotiation, U.S. labor law, Dispute resolution.