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Historic Partnership Agreements Signed with Maryland and Pennsylvania

 

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service recently entered into unprecedented partnership agreements with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of Maryland. Under the terms of these agreements, FMCS mediators will work with state officials to improve labor-management relations in each state. Both agreements are important examples of federal-state partnership.

Pennsylvania

The partnership agreed to by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and FMCS officials will promote and establish cooperative management-labor programs in the state’s private and public sectors. The partnership resulted from a recommendation of the Governor’s Committee on Economic Development through Labor-Management Partnerships, which was established to promote economic growth in the Commonwealth.

Eighteen mediators from FMCS will work with mediators from the Pennsylvania State Bureau of Mediation to deliver programs and services to employers and workers to help them build more productive relationships. The goal of a more cooperative labor-management relationship is improved productivity, enhanced employment security, and higher quality products, which ultimately will aid Pennsylvania businesses to become more competitive in the global marketplace.

The partnership agreement will allow for steward -supervisor training and for education and training in interest-based bargaining, committee effectiveness, joint labor-management committees, conflict management, consensus decision-making, and team building.

This partnership combines FMCS and the state mediator’s experience, knowledge and skills.

Maryland

In Maryland, FMCS signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" with Dr. Eugene A. Conti, Jr., Secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR). Governor Parris N. Glendening recently signed an Executive Order allowing collective bargaining in the Executive Branch of State Government.

"Labor-management cooperation, when practiced with honesty, commitment and intelligence, can be a more powerful economic tool than a low-interest loan or a government grant."

Governor Tom Ridge Commonwealth of Pennsylvania


Deputy Director Wilma Liebman and Maryland DLLR Secretary Gene Conti sign partnership agreement.

The Memorandum signed by FMCS and DLLR Secretary Conti allows FMCS to assist the State in the implementation of the Governor’s Executive order by providing consultative services free of charge. These services included training in dispute resolution, providing advice on union election procedures, and in exceptional circumstances, furnishing dispute resolution services.

These agreements are the first of their kind signed by FMCS under the authority given in the Taft-Hartley Act and represent the Service’s commitment to using the experience of its mediators to aid states in improving labor-management relations.

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Last modified: February 19, 1998