Workplace Negotiations and Plans

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Please see attached response (also presented below), as well as two supporting documents. These are some very interesting scenarios, indeed. I am sure that I have provided ample information and references so you will be in an excellent position to complete your final report. I hope this helps. Good luck and take care.

RESPONSE:

1. Scenario One: You are a supervisor in a small manufacturing plant. The union contract covering most of your employees is about to expire. How do you prepare for union contract negotiations?

You objective is to negotiate the best possible collective bargaining agreement. You will be serving as a strategist and spokesperson from bargaining preparation through contract ratification for initial and successor agreements. Your preparation efforts are important, and success if often in details. By being prepared for a potential work stoppage, the likelihood of such an event is greatly reduced.

Preparation
? Track national and regional union trends
? Examine strike activities, negotiation strategies, and settlements by the Local Union
? Analyze area contract settlement data, industry competition, and marketplace wage/benefit data
? Anticipate and prepare responses to election-related union demands (for initial contracts)
? Investigate grievances, arbitrations and other contract interpretation disputes to formulate proposals addressing union demands (for renewal contracts)
? Conceive, develop, and implement negotiating strategies with management
? Minimize the risk of unfair labor practice charges and demystify the negotiation process
? Train managers in collective bargaining negotiations and the legal limitations imposed on their company during negotiations.

Strike Planning
? Initiate strategic planning before strikes or concerted activity begins
? Guide employers through development of written strike plan with contingencies and step-by-step response instructions
? Examine any existing agreements with the union and any statutory options and prepare for potential challenges
? Determine realistic possibility of threatened strike
? Anticipate level of contact from labor organizations once a strike is underway
? Identify and train strike team regarding employee and employer rights relative to concerted activity
? Craft public relations responses and media training plans
? Author employee communications in advance of a strike and following any walk out

Strike Management
? Provide on-site support and picket line advice during implementation of strike plan
? Coordinate communications with all parties including replacement workers, striking employees, non-striking employees, the general public, and public officials
? Assist legal counsel with documentation of strike-related misconduct that supports employee discipline
? Serve as liaison with security and strike support contractors
? Respond to critical issues at the end of a strike which may include: reinstatement of striking employees, replacement employee status, continuation of beneficial subcontracting agreements, defense of terminations and disciplinary actions, public relations, and internal communications.
? Negotiate and draft strike settlement agreements

Negotiations
? Handle all communications on negotiations with union and coordinate all negotiating activity
? Prepare proposals and counter-proposals and record all union proposals and counter proposals as well as tentative agreements reached between the parties
? Formulate client responses to union requests for information
? Update managers and supervisors on the position and progress of the negotiations
? Compile negotiation notebook that tracks progress as a tool to address any circulating rumors
? Draft communications for direct correspondence with represented employees
Prepare the final tentative agreement or final proposal towards ratification
? Provide pocket-sized easy reference contract copies for managers (and other supervisors)

Contract Administration
? Produce a bound negotiation history for each article that tracks the progression toward final agreements
? Conduct a training and orientation session with managers and supervisors on the new contract
? Provide ongoing access to our staff for consultation and advice on contract interpretation and administration issues

Contract Administration
Following a thorough review of collective bargaining agreements, current operations, past practices, managerial interviews, grievances, and arbitration, we provide the services listed above with the exception of the negotiation history volume, but in addition we will track the termination date for each agreement, prepare and submit all notices required, and make all required federal Section 8(d) filings concerning contract termination

Source: http://www.avantresources.com/services/contract_neg.html Retrieved July 29, 2005

Also see attached article for other good tips.

2. Scenario Two: As the supervisor of a small manufacturing firm, you need to construct a plan for reducing both accidents and stress on the plant floor. How would you proceed and why?

Preparing for an Accident
Preparing for an accident requires that the entity have four things in place: planning, attitude, supplies, and communications.

Planning Ahead
The entity will never know in advance what accidents will occur or when, but it can plan ahead to know what the most likely risks are in a given situation to prepare for and, hopefully, avoid them. Having specific plans in place for various types of accidents and regularly training employees to work within those plans is one of the most effective means of ensuring that accidents will be avoided when possible and handled appropriately when they do occur. Your public entity should assign a safety committee to regularly monitor and update the entity's accident plans, recommend training for employees and volunteers, and walk through the entity's work sites to check for potentially unsafe conditions.

Attitude of Safety
In addition to planning for accidents and responding to them, instilling an attitude of safety among employees reduces the risk of having accidents occur. Workplace safety training instructs workers on best practices and helps avoid common mishaps. Policies and procedures should also reflect that safety is a priority within the public entity. If employees are encouraged to cut corners to reduce costs or get a job done more quickly, the attitude of safety is undermined and an accident is more likely to occur. Having a safety committee in place that has the authority to make changes where unsafe conditions or practices ...