Union Conflicts

The organization that I work for is regulated by a local Union.  The Union has an established contract that has been abided by or given guidance in the regulation of fair labor practices.  In the last six months new officers were elected to the local post and have begun demanding respect and inquiring into the way I have carried out my recent decision to terminate employment and have a caregiver investigated for allegation of mishandling a child inside the classroom.  These events have drawn attention to my management style and practices and have led to several violations and citations.  In order to try and diffuse the conflict and refocus the attention of Union officers elsewhere, I have deployed several non violent tactics to resolve the conflict between my management team and the Union.  Though I really would like to drive a Mack truck through the branch office, I have been respectful and tried to take the third side approach to get a better understanding for all of the perspectives involved.  Through many mediations, deliberations, arguments and successions I have realized that I will not compromise on my principles.  I will not allow an employee to jeopardize the safety and well being of a child and I will not allow an employee’s performance to jeopardize other employee’s safety or well being.  I have learned through this excoriating process that I must follow the rules and the policies that have been established in order to support the fundamentals of my principles I want to uphold.