HRM5020 8 Week: CBA Negotiation Simulation

Purpose Statement:The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) Simulationisdesigned for students to experience the primary steps of the collective bargaining process through negotiation preparation, negotiation proposal and negotiation of provisions.

Students will be assigned to either the union-side or management-side and will work with a negotiation team member to review the collective bargaining agreement; determine negotiation targets; draft a negotiation proposal; and negotiate contract provisions.

Learning Goals:

Upon satisfactory completion of this assessment, a student should have the ability to:

1. Distinguish among the various provisions of a collective bargaining agreement.
2. Describe and conduct the collective bargaining process and become familiar with the laws that govern the process.

Negotiation Tips:

• It's not a zero-sum game: Instead of win-lose, think win-win.
• Don't Fall in Love: Don't fixate on one particular proposal, keep your options open and consider alternatives.
• Be willing to walk away.

Part I. CBA Review & Wish List of Changes

In Part I of the CBA Simulation, students will be paired into teams, review the CBA contract and put together an individual wish list of changes.

Week 1: Choose a Negotiation Partner

The CBA Simulation will be released in ulearn, Week 1.During Week 1, students will choose a negotiation partner for the project. The professor will assign those remaining students who do not have a negotiation partner.

Week 2: CBA Contract Review & Individual Wish List of Changes

This week the professor will assign each team to either the union-side or management-side.

This process includes each student reviewing the contract individually and making changes to the contract that are favorable to their position (union or management). The task should reflect their wish list, i.e. what changes you would want to make if you did not have to bargain with the other side.

• TO DO: Submit your Individual Wish List of Changes

Part II. The Proposal

In Part II of the CBA Simulation, students will compare and contrast their individual wish lists, draft the team proposal and Top 10 negotiation targets.

Week 3: Submit the Proposal & Top 10 Negotiation Targets

Using a shared Google Doc (or another comparable online collaborative tool of you choice) construct a Draft Proposal in which each member in the team collaborates asynchronously to discuss and compare their respective wish list of changes to determine the basis of a draft team "proposal". A virtual meeting is another option to collaborate and make joint decisions if time and availability permit.Keep in mind,each team must have at least seventeen (17) changes in their proposal; the more changes the better.

1. The Proposal:

The "proposal" document consists of the entire existing contracteditedwith your team's recommendations. Remember, in practice the proposal would eventually be exchanged, or"swapped",with the other side's proposal at the commencement of negotiations.

Each side should review the contract with an "uncompromising eye". Reasonableness can enter the negotiation process during negotiations.

• Negotiation Tip: Leave yourself room to bargain. The proposal should not reflect your final offer.

The language you are eliminating in the proposal should have astrike through. Following the strike through should be thenew proposed language in bold. No words should be deleted.

For example, if the contract provision states that "The employer shall provide 10 sick days for the employee's illness", a union team may propose the following:

• The employer shall provide1015sick days for the employee's illness,as well as to care for a parent's and child's illness.

In the above example the union is proposing to increase the number of sick days and expand the reasons for use of sick leave. Possible targets could be12 daysand only including"child's illness".

• Negotiation Tip: Please note how the target (12) falls between the current language (10) and the proposal language (15).

1. Top 10 Negotiation Targets:

Again, at least seventeen (17) changes must be made to the CBA, preferably more.Out of these 17 changes, each team will choose ten (10) changes they would concentrate on during to negotiations. The other negotiating side should not be aware of your targets. All of the other changes you make besides the targets are what are commonly referred to as"throwaways", i.e. language you are willing to give up in order to achieve your targets.

The Top Ten shall be submitted to the professor using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet made up of four (4) columns as outlined below:

1. The first column will identify the provision and section of the contract
2. The second column will contain the current contract language
3. The third column will have the language in the proposal
4. The fourth column will have the "target", i.e. what you want to achieve through negotiations.

Example: