If you want to win negotiations, preparation is KEY. Below are a few tips for bargaining preparation:
- Begin preparing before expiration of a current contract(s) or moratorium(s).
- Identify the Wants, Needs and Expectations (WNE’s) of the company. Survey senior leaders, appropriate managers and supervisors- include Finance and Benefits experts. Inputs and reviews include, for example:
- Corporate Level- Economic limits/authority, costs and organization strategy/direction
- Competitors- Costs, productivity, customer service and funding, if public sector. Benchmark the competition.
- Operations/Supervisor Level- costs, productivity, and customer service. Identify the rules, practices or arbitrations negatively impacting these areas. This is also a great opportunity to help operations fix things now where not restricted by contract under the management rights or authority doctrine.
- Finance and Benefits Experts- Benchmark the competition and arrive at benefit costs; especially medical plans. Seek input from plan providers on plan performance, improvements and benchmarks to control costs and improve care outcomes.
- Assemble bargaining information (Bargaining “Book”). Include, for example:
- Labor cost basics (value of 1 cent/percent, hours worked/not worked, employee demographics, etc.)
- Cost of rules, customer service and productivity areas in need of change. This includes both quantitative and qualitative costs and impediments.
- Medical Plan data, including costs, trends, usage and input/programs from plan providers
- Other settlements in the company (and non-union) and/or industry. BLS and industry tracked data.
- Any other data or information impacting and supporting bargaining WNE’s
- Current state rules/issues and proposals.