Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Dispute Resolution Institute

Collective Bargaining Training for Local Elected Officials

Introduction

Negotiation is never easy. But negotiating in collective bargaining settings poses a unique set of challenges, chief among them the  numerous interlinked issues to be addressed, complex interpersonal dynamics, and the necessity to “live the deal” that is brokered. Success demands thoughtful preparation and strategic tactical execution at the bargaining table. This highly interactive workshop will improve participants’ ability to formulate and present “yesable” management offers, effectively identify linkages between issues, make necessary trade-offs and manage concessions, and implement stalemate-breaking strategies necessary to close a deal.

Now in a highly interactive online format!

Learning Objectives

  • Prepare effectively for collective bargaining negotiations;
  • Appreciate the importance of “interests” and the constructive role of information gathering throughout the collective bargaining process;
  • Improve ability to craft effective proposals acceptable to employees, including when and how to make concessions and advocate for sensible trade-offs between issues;
  • Maintain genuine curiosity and constructive distance when engaged in adversarial bargaining;
  • Apply lessons from contemporary cognitive science to counter implicit bias that compromises rational judgement;
  • Develop practical tools to build and maintain trust during collective bargaining, as well as strategies to repair trust once breached; and
  • Gain self-awareness of personal negotiation strengths and weaknesses and develop an effective post-training plan for improvement.

This training is offered for local government leaders in cooperation with Sourcewell and the Association of Minnesota Counties.

 

Faculty

November 13, 2020, 9 am–4 pm

Location: Online

Cost: $150

Register through Sourcewell  

Professor James Coben is a senior fellow in Mitchell Hamline’s Dispute Resolution Institute, which he directed from 2000-2009. He is a co-editor of the four-volume Rethinking Negotiation Teaching Series (DRI Press 2009-2013), a co-author of the Thomson Reuters trail practice series treatise Mediation: Law, Policy & Practice (2018-2019), and has designed and delivered conflict resolution academic courses and practical training for government leaders, judges, lawyers, and other professionals throughout the world.

 

For more information contact

Kitty Atkins, Associate Director, Dispute Resolution Institute
kitty.atkins@mitchellhamline.edu
651-696-7677