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Successful
Conference on "Mediating
Workplace Conflict"
in February
 |
|
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The
role of shop floor union leaders in
mediating conflict at the workplace was the theme
of a full-day educational conference on February 27,
2004 in Berkeley.
Approximately
130 union members and others attended. Co-sponsors
were LOHP
and the Labor Task Force on Workplace Violence Prevention,
a group of Northern California unionists representing a
range of occupations and industries.
Participants learned
basic concepts of mediation, violence prevention, and techniques
for defusing conflict. There were also "crisis
simulations" based
on actual workplace incidents that union reps have faced.
Instructors
included Richard V. Denenberg, co-author of The Violence-Prone
Workplace.
Nearly
two million Americans are assaulted each year while at
work, often by a client, customer, supervisor, or co-worker.
Shop floor union leaders are often the first to see the
warning signs of escalating conflict. A union leader's
mediation skills can be essential in resolving the root
causes of the conflict and preventing a violent incident. |
Click
here for a conference
flyer (Acrobat
PDF format).
|
Highlights
of Earlier Workplace Violence Projects
Since the early
1990s, LOHP has worked with labor and other groups on a variety
of workplace violence prevention projects.
Domestic
Violence Conference
In
February, 2002, LOHP and the Labor Task Force on Workplace Violence
Prevention presented a day-long educational
conference in Berkeley on domestic violence. Nearly 100 union members
and others attended. Funding for the conference was provided
by the California Endowment.
 LOHP
and the task force also published a poster addressing domestic
violence at the workplace, shown at the right. Click the picture
or click here for a larger version.
Unions
have recognized that domestic violence is a workplace issue. According
to the U.S. Department of Justice, one out of three women in this
country is a victim of physical or sexual abuse by an intimate partner.
Domestic violence knows no boundaries—it creates a ripple effect
that spills over onto the job. For example, partners commit more
than 13,000 acts of violence against women in U.S. workplaces every
year.
Unions
have a role to play in supporting affected members, educating all
members, and keeping the workplace safe from violent incidents.
Training
of Trainers Course
With
funding from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), LOHP has developed a "Training
of Trainers" (TOT) course on violence prevention. Training
has been presented for labor and management at Bay Area Rapid
Transit (BART), Alameda-Contra Costa (AC) Transit, Kaiser Permanente
Medical Centers, and other workplaces.
"Violence
on the Job" Guidebook
In
1997, LOHP and the Labor Task Force on Workplace Violence
Prevention produced Violence
on the Job- A Guidebook for Labor and Management, a 100-page
book which is still available from the LOHP
Bookshop.
For more information
on LOHP's
Workplace Violence projects, contact Elaine El-Askari: easkari@berkeley.edu.
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