Labor relations specialists negotiate agreements, including remunerations, benefits, perks, working conditions, promotions, holidays, overtime and rates of advancement, between workers and their employers.
The field of labor relations covers the relationship between the management of a company and the company's unionized employees. Since more and more government employees are becoming unionized, specialists in the field of labor relations are now employed in government agencies as well as in private industry.
The day-to-day administration of the provisions of a union contract is usually the responsibility of a company's personnel department or, in a large company, the industrial relations department. In a small or medium-sized company, the personnel manager might handle union matters as part of his or her responsibilities, but in a large company one or more labor relations specialists are employed. Their responsibilities include handling grievances, preparing for collective bargaining sessions, and participating in contract negotiations. In some companies, labor relations specialists are also involved in accident prevention and industrial safety programs.
A labor relations specialist must stay abreast of developments in labor law and wages and benefits in local companies and within the industry and must provide constant liaison between the company and union officials. An effective labor relations specialist must be able to work with union representatives in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation.
In companies, usually large ones that have both union and nonunion employees, labor relations and the personnel department are part of the industrial relations department functions.
Labor relations specialists employed by government agencies perform much the same duties as those employed in private industry.
Labor unions do not employ many professionally trained labor relations specialists. At the company and local level, elected union officials handle all union-management matters. At national and international union headquarters, however, research and education staffs usually include specialists with degrees in industrial and labor relations, economics, or law.
Places of Employment and Working Conditions
Labor relations specialists work throughout the United States, with the largest concentrations in heavily industrialized areas.
A 40-hour workweek is usual in this field, but longer hours may be necessary during contract negotiations or periods of labor problems.
Qualifications, Education, and Training
The ability to see opposing viewpoints is important for a labor relations specialist. Integrity, a sense of fairness, and the ability to work with people of many educational levels and social backgrounds are necessary qualities. Communication skills are a major requirement.
High school courses should include social studies, English, and any courses or extracurricular activities available in public speaking and debating.
Most labor relations specialists begin their careers in personnel work and move into labor relations as they gain experience. Those who enter the field of labor relations directly are usually graduates of master's degree programs in industrial or labor relations or have a law degree with course work in industrial relations. Courses in labor law, collective bargaining, labor economics and history, and industrial psychology should be included in either undergraduate or graduate study.
Potential and Advancement
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for labor relations specialists will drop by 8% between 2014 and 2024. Therefore, job opportunities for those in the field and those hoping to enter will be weak.
Advancement often takes the form of moving to a larger company. Others advance by moving from middle-level positions in large companies to top-level positions in smaller companies.
Labor relations specialists who gain substantial experience and establish a widely known reputation sometimes work as federal mediators. Their services are made available to companies or industries that have arrived at a stalemate in contract negotiations with a union.
Income
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for labor relations specialists was $58,820 in 2015.
Related Jobs
All personnel, training, and labor relations professions share many similarities. Other workers with abilities and capability in interpersonal relations include employment, rehabilitation, and college career planning and placement counselors; lawyers; psychologists; sociologists; social workers; public relations specialists; and teachers.
