Saturday: Negotiations and conversations with Tom

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Our team is working well together and it helps to have a lead person that loves collective bargaining. It also helps we respect each other’s opinions and trust each other will do the part we are responsible to do. I am learning how it works and our team explains their ideas as a group well. It was interesting to see what happens when an important link is missing from a team. From that experience, I can see the significance of everyone being on the same page and knowing what is going on and where we are going. Communication is important within your team and relationships are important across the team. It is also important to get the language correct and in writing. One word can change the intent of the newly negotiated item or if you are not watching, the wording gets changed and the outcome is different. This shows the importance of keeping a written manuscript of all negotiations and read the new contract language and scrutinizes each word.

Tom McLaughlin’s question and answer time was interesting. He would make comments, but many points, you need to read between the lines. He appears to be negotiating even when he was just talking to us. You can tell he lives negotiations. He would weight his choice of words carefully before making comments. I liked watching his body language and eyes as he would respond to questions. Many times you could tell he was weighting the choice of words and then would comment. It was interesting to hear about the 6% cap in the state of Illinois. I am glad that was explained. Tom’s last example of a proposal was interesting to look at and try to decipher. It points out the importance of concrete language in each area; however, it is good to note not to have every section defined. Again, it points out the importance of semantics and the correct information gathered. Tom also helped to reinforce relationships between negotiation parities, community, parents and students. All individuals need to understand positions so support will take place after negotiations are complete.

Good day. It will be interesting to see how our negotiations end up tomorrow.