EL 956 District Level Personnel Administration

Executive Summary

Interest Based Bargaining

December 18, 2008

XXXXXXX “ A Hard Bargain: Contract negotiations Have Become a Whole Lot Less Contentious in Many Districts Today, as the Tenets of Interest-Based Bargaining Take Hold”

Interested-Based Bargaining is one of many negotiation practices. It prides itself on the philosophy that there are no winners or losers. In this process everyone wins. There isn’t a union side or the administrators/board side. Individuals are at the same table, having shared knowledge and trust. They are seated in a fashion, which doesn’t allow for sidebars. The key to this process is reaching an agreement. It deals with extensive, comparative, and research-based information. “It deals data-driven approaches that focus on information and not the personalities, interactions, or relationships of those at the table”, stated Zorn.

Interested-Based Bargaining has had peaks and valleys since the 80’s. When economic times are tough, teams tend to think they can’t collaborate on negotiations. When times are better more collaboration occurs.

Education has a step up on other companies in using IBB successful. “We have a common ground, and that is educating students.” Marla Bell of Ohio Education

Associate Labor Relations Consultant states. Having a shared vision makes getting to the end result much easier.

IBB is a good fit for districts. It eliminates the sides and creates one team. With traditional bargaining, Kathleen Klink Superintendent of Lakota Local Schools in Liberty

Township, Ohio remembers, “We would walk out of there feeling miserable…Our colleagues had become our adversaries.” Ezarik gives a list of comparisons of Tradition vs. Interest Based negotiations. (A Hard

Bargain: Contract negotiations Have Become a Whole Lot Less Contentious in Many

Districts Today, as the Tenets of Interest-Based Bargaining Take Hold)

TRADITIONAL

*Unlimited issues, Little prioritizing

*Formalized proposals developed by each side presented

*Different goals and distrust

*Spokesperson for each side

*Like a contest

*Positional

*Divided seating, management and union members separated

*Legal counsel present

*Breaking for food or caucus means staying with your own side

*Statements like “We deserve this percent and don’t care where the money

comes from”

*Focus on the individual, with personality conflicts getting in the way

*Contract points reached via compromise, concession

*Little chance for innovation

*Greater chance of grievances later over unclear contract language

*Participants leave feeling miserable

*Avoiding personal interactions INTEREST-BASED

*Limited issues, prioritized

*Less formalized, with proposals developed by both sides together

*Common goals and trust

*Everybody talking

*Group Effort

*Conceptual

*Interspersed seating, management and union members together

*Legal council present or not

*Breaking for food together

*Statements like, “Let’s pour over this budget together”

*Focus on issues, not individuals

*Contract points reached via collaboration for the good of the district

*Greater chance for innovation to bring about education reform

*Common understanding of contract vocabulary

*Participants leave feeling good, with hugs and handshakes

*Building relationships

Negotiations at any level are never fun and are lots of work. The issues themselves are usually painful, the process shouldn’t have to be as well. References

Ezarik, Melissa. A Hard Bargain: Contract negotiations Have Become a Whole Lot Less Contentious in Many Districts Today, as the Tenets of Interest-Based Bargaining Take Hold. District Administration. May 2005.

Zorn, Robert L. Information-Based Bargaining for a New Age. The School Admiinistrator. August 2006.