Sunday's Lesson

Listening to the attorney made me realize the danger of having balances that appear TOO healthy. Anytime a district has a nice little nest egg set aside it creates the impression that they are holding out on the union. This makes membership feel like the district is "winning" with regards to negtiations. This normally results in them digging their heels in a little bit to get themselves a bigger piece of the pie.

This further deepens my belief to have healthy balances but not too healthy. Only ask the tax payers for what you need and then the union cannot ask you for more than you have.

Sunday Reflection

My aha moment was listening to the attorney talk about real life situatiosn from his bargaining for differentschool districts. It makes since to share information and to make sure it is in a manner that everyone can understand it. I enjoyed hearing his view of ways to make things easy to understand. I liked his examples that he shared with us. Having never had to bargaining for a contract before I felt like this information was great!

An attorney's point of view

What an interesting presentation from Mr. Greening. I didn't get a chance to ask him but I think he is Avon's attorney. I talked to him a couple of times with our superintendent on the phone and I recognize his voice. I've never been involved at the table during a negotiation but the more I gain knowledge on the subject, the more interested I am to become involved. The strategies needed to prepare for bargaining intrigue me. Every time you receive a proposal or counter proposal a whole new set of strategies need to be developed. I love a challenge and this would definitely be one.
I now realize how much preparation is needed for both sides to be ready for negotiations. I also realize that the ground rules are extremely important and if done well can move the negotiations forward in a positive direction.

doing homework

I appreciate the guest taking time out of his weekend. I found it extremely beneficial. In particular the data gathering and how to show the data in a simple and persuasive manner is great to know.

Sunday 8/29 AHA moment

Mr. Greening's presentation has made significant impact on my thought process concerning the negotiation process. The first point concerns preparation. The main reason that negotiations are unproductive or ultimately fail is a lack of preparation by one side or the other. I can only imagine how damaging it would be for both sides to be unprepared in any area-but certainly with anything regarding finances. If a Supt. were to make a significant gaff during negotiations regarding a loss of funds to the district then I could see that leading to that person's dismissal. A Superintendent has a key responsibility to prepare the Board but also make sure the necessary information is available and readily understood by the Union side as well. The second point which is connected to the first is to have a principled position for both sides. This is not possible if each side is not prepared with the necessary information. A principled position can quickly lead to productive negotiations and a proper settlement that satisfies both sides. GS

EDL 623 Collective Bargaining Fall 2010: open negotiations

EDL 623 Collective Bargaining Fall 2010: open negotiations: "I would like to know more about what is normally shared during negotiations. Does the district open their books? Are districts willing to be..."

salaries, district fund balances, major expenses i.e. insurance, benefits, board policy, topics from past negotiations, hypothetical salary schedules, what other information do you think teachers would want?

ah-ha moment

My ah-ha moment was when we talked about the difference between mediation and arbitration. It reminded me of my strike experience in 2001. The mediator that Dr. Closen mentioned came to the district. It brought back painful memories of being in a strike.

First class

I really enjoyed the conversation we had about TRS. My long range plan is to someday teach for a college. Now you tell me that I might have to move to another state for Certs to count toward retirement. I also know that your discussion on reading the newspaper daily is important. I need to take time everyday to keep up with the news around me. The last thing is the conversation we had about Illini Bluffs. It is hard to believe that a school board could make that kind of decision concerning negotiations. The damage that could take place between the union and the school district is tremendous. It will be interesting to see how this year's negotiation proceeds.
In closing, I agree that relationships with your staff is very important. Someone told me at the beginning of my career that make friends with your support staff first. This advice has been very beneficial for me.

My aha moment

Dr. Closens advice about the importance of new board member orientation. School board elections are next April and we may have two new board members. Educating and training board members can help make your life easier.

Bob and the Clock

"If you are lookin' at the clock and the other guy is looking at the calendar, you are not in the position of power." This is one of the items that I picked up in class today. It is equally wise to avoid looking at a clock in a room with Bob. For he is prone to change it so that it READS to his advantage!

Regardless...the moral seems to be take your time (and be on the look-out for Bobs).

open negotiations

I would like to know more about what is normally shared during negotiations. Does the district open their books? Are districts willing to be flexible as long as it does not efffect the bottom line?

Aha moment!

The aha moment was for me when it was talked about the difference between unfair labor practice and a grievance. I now have a better understanding of this concept. I have been involved with the grievance process before but never the unfair labor practice.

August 28 Blog

Throughout my career, I have sat on both sides of the table during negotiations. As a teacher I actively negotiated. As an administrator, I sat in the back of the room and observed the negotiations and joined the administrative negotiating team when speaking to the attorney. I learned a lot through both of these exeriences. One of our discussions in class regarding the amount of preparation that needs to be done by the superintendent prior to negotiations confirmed what I witnessed. Our superintendent had many financial spreadsheets prepared with different scenarios. I would be interested in obtaining electronic copies of templates of various spreadsheets that superintendents have used when preparing for negotiations. What I observed during our last negotiation was very different than the simulation discussion we had in class today. I did not observe the beginning where ground rules were established. I am interested to learn what discussion took place with regards to ground rules. During the negotiating session that I witnessed both the district attorney and the IEP representative were present and most of the negotiating at the table took place between the two of them.

Class 8/28

My aha moment today concerned the discussion about the two times that a Superintendent can be vulnerable to being fired. Those two times concerned messing up levies and negotiations. It is not acceptable to be unprepared for all aspects of negotiations. The example of Illini Bluffs negotiation snafu highlighted this. They were charged with unfair labor practices after previously agreeing to tenative contract. The resulting threat of a strike and legal issues made that Superintendent look bad and probably at least temporarily damaged his reputation. Prepare. Prepare Prepare.

Come on Tim, we are waiting

I really like technology, I will help Tim catch up