Bargaining

The Author takes a look at the Report to the National Council on Labor Management Relations on bargaining B(1) issues. These are matters that until now Agencies had to negotiate only at their election. According to the report, it appears the politicals are getting ready to write a success story in advance of the negotiations. You decide.

The implementation plans for the President’s vision of Federal labor management relations are rolling in. Most tout their continuing commitment to getting along but exceedingly rare are commitments to bargain “permissive” topics. The biggest surprise is the submission by the Office of Personnel Management.

The author asks which Agencies will agree to bargaining permissive subjects if a pilot program results from an impending executive order. He suggests who might play and why as well as some risks involved to those who choose to play or are roped into doing so.

If your agency is going forward with a change and intends to notify its union(s) of that intent, you will probably end up bargaining with the union. Since leverage is everything in negotiations, here are suggestions to increase your leverage or at least lessen the other guy’s.

What are your “interests” in bargaining a labor agreement? What are the implications for your interests during negotiations with a federal labor union? Here are considerations an agency should understand about “interest based bargaining” in the federal environment.

The Author discusses the permissive area of the Federal labor law that Federal unions want the President to direct Agencies to bargain. He asks whether there might be any unintended consequences of such a decision.