Strike contingency planning is the process of developing an operational strategy and comprehensive business continuity plan to continue operations in the event of a labor dispute. The need for strike contingency planning traditionally comes in to play when a unionized company's collective bargaining comes up for renewal or after it has recently become unionized.
In addition to an operational strategy, strike contingency plans often include a specialized labor dispute security plan as well. While many companies have contract security in place for normal day-to-day operations, for protection during a labor dispute many bring in Security Officers that are specifically trained in the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and evidence documentation in order to avoid any Unfair Labor Practice charges (ULPs) that could be caused by inexperienced security personnel on the picket line.
MADI is a single-source provider of labor dispute management, providing the full range of services including contingency planning, temporary strike replacement workers, and labor dispute security teams nationwide since 1992.
MADI's systematic approach involves proactively identifying all operational and security vulnerabilities and threats that can pose risks during a labor dispute.
While each industry has its own set of requirements, there are many commonalities and best practices across industries and facilities from a physical risk management perspective. MADI's on-site needs analyses and strike contingency plans address areas such as:
Strike contingency planning and strike readiness have drastically changed over the past couple of years due to the current labor market and skilled labor shortages across the United States.
For example, the way MADI consults with distribution clients nationwide is drastically different due to the nationwide CDL-A Driver shortage. The pool of available CDL Drivers willing to take on work during labor disputes has changed from years past and in turn, our strategies and recommendations have changed.
Near full employment has caused labor shortages across the US and as a result skilled trades personnel such such as Electricians, Welders, Maintenance Technicians, Machine Operators, and Machinists are becoming more challenging to fill.
For projects requiring requiring large-scale replacement worker resources or larger numbers of highly technical skilled workers, the need for a pro-active recruiting and readiness preparation process is becoming more critical for companies that need to continue operations on day one of a labor dispute.
