If you are a manager for a union or social justice organization:
- Are you totally comfortable being a “manager”?
- Were you prepared to be a manager before you got the position?
- Have you had training to be a manager?
- Are you satisfied with your staff’s job performance?
- Do your staff work well as a team?
If any of your answers are “NO”, you are not alone and you need this book.
Many managers and leaders in unions and social justice organizations find themselves responsible for directing staff for the first time with no real preparation or training.
Written by Ken Margolies who created and conducted a workshop series on managing staff for the Worker Institute at Cornell, Managing with Labor’s Values: Manage Staff without Being Like Bosses Unions Fight includes input from many experienced managers in unions and social justice organizations as well as lessons from the author’s experience as a steward in a staff union at SEIU and managing unionized staff as a director at CWA, the Teamsters, and Cornell.
Managing with Labor’s Values describes ways managers can use the values unions fight for (respect, helping rather than monitoring staff, due process, progressive discipline) to manage their staff effectively without acting like the bosses unions fight.
The book contains real-life examples as well as how-to lists, relevant quotes, recommended readings and an index.
A condensed Guide and Workbook is also included, focusing on key sections that managers are most likely to need in their day-to-day work. Included are helpful worksheets and forms not in the book.
The book’s chapters include:
- What is Managing with Labor’s Values
- Embracing the Role of Manager
- Building Trusting Relationships
- Giving Staff What They Each Need
- Setting Clear Expectations
- Motivating Staff
- Helping Staff Succeed
- Practicing Positive Accountability
- Building Teamwork
- Performance Management Systems
- Start Managing with Labor’s Values
- Recommended Reading