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 making changes and intends to notify its union(s), you will probably end up bargaining with the union. These tips can increase your leverage.
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.
With an executive order on Federal labor relations from the new administration expected very soon, the author examines what happened in the Clinton administration and suggests that Interest Based Bargaining or any other mandated negotiating process may be doomed from the outset if prior lessons go unheeded.
As President Obama is inaugurated, the author suggests agencies should revisit their approaches to labor relations. He provides a list of ten things every Agency should be doing to get a better handle on its interests in a time of rising union expectations.
Bargaining a contract is a lot to get your arms around. The Author offers these tools to make preparation, tracking and figuring out the status of a negotiation simpler. Warning! This article is written for folks who have bargained without structure and wished they had some tools to work with. If you’re a seat of the pants bargainer, shame on you, and this is not for you.
The author has written extensively on FedSmith about the “ins and outs” of bargaining on the impact and implementation(I and I) of agency management decisions. I and I bargaining occurs with great frequency in the Federal sector and generally results in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the agency and the union. This article covers critical points the agency should consider in putting together an MOU.
How can a bargaining team get a reasonable contract for a federal agency? “Be gentle with the union’s chief negotiator” (Rule 11) Here are several tips for getting through the bargaining process successfully from an experienced negotiator.
