Rail Management / Rail Labor IntelliConference
Some of the longest relationships in North American commerce are between railroads and unions. They are also some of the most fraught, with several large railroads ranked as the worst places in the country to work.
Core Question:
What aspects of the relationship between rail management and rail labor can be improved to boost productivity and quality of working life?
Rail management-focused dialogue questions:
- What working conditions for entry-level to mid-level management staff should be changed to improve the quality of professional and personal life?
- What management approaches to improve staff performance need humanization?
- What communication approaches to employee management do we find counter-productive?
- What working conditions for rail staff lead to diminished operating safety?
- What improvements can be made in how rail staff performance is measured and acknowledged?
- What innovations in organizational communication and collaboration would advance better relations and productivity between management and staff?
- What improvements in management training should be made to better prepare staff for respectful relations with employees?
Rail labor-focused dialogue questions:
- What relations between rail labor unions can be improved for everyone’s benefit?
- What experiences would enable labor leaders to better understand working conditions of their rank-and-file members?
- What union work rules could be reconceived to improve overall rail operations and productivity, without sacrificing safety, quality of life, or compensation?
- What innovations in communication between rail management and rail labor leaders can be instituted to improve collaboration?
- What improvements in staff training should be made to better prepare workers to achieve?
- What accommodations can be made by rail labor to support rail industry growth, while gaining overall jobs, compensation, and job security?