First day reflection

It is interesting the variations from district to district and state to state. Iowa seems so different than Illinois. Iowa negotiations seem foreign and Illinois seems to be even further removed. Collective bargaining has such a short life for the huge impact it has made on the work force. Collective bargaining is an area where I hope my first on-the-job encounters are from an observational arena or partnered with someone with experience. The simulated negotiations in class will help to see how the process works.
Building trust and relationships are important and how you build the trust on a day to day basis in the community and in the district is vital for survival when negotiations occur. Trust and relationships go hand-in-hand. It is important to be with people and listen to them. Sit down on a day to day basis and talk with individuals. This does a two fold job. You are able to know what people feel and think and the people see you as a real person. You build trust and relationships together.
Once you are in negotiations, it is important to listen to the “other side”. You have to let them think you are very interested in everything. It is also important once you are getting close to an agreement to offer everything as a package. This will help to avoid bad faith or regressive bargaining. It is also important to not give away information through body language-even a raise of an eyebrow can determine a settlement!