Negotiation Case Study
The purpose of this problem is to familiarize students with the negotiation of a labor contract. The problem is strictly a hypothetical one and does not pertain to any actually management or union. It is designed to test in a practical way the student’s understanding of the issues of collective bargaining studied during the semester and the strategy of the bargaining process.
The following constitutes the case on which demands will be based and which provides the framework for the negotiations. Read it very carefully to size up the situation. Base your demands only on the facts given here.
Representatives of the Auto Products Corporation of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Local 5000,
United Metal Workers of
…show more content…
Of the 1,409 bargaining unit employees, there are 175 skilled maintenance employees (electricians, plumbers, carpenters, mechanics, and tool and die makers), and their average hourly earnings are
$16.05. The existing contract contains an escalator (COLA) clause providing for the adjustment of wages in accordance with changes in the consumer price index. There is no “cap” on the amount of the increase. It provides for a $.03 increase in wages for each 0.4-point increase in the CPI. The escalator arrangement is reviewed on a semiannual basis. The current hourly rates include the increases generated from the escalator clause and the annual improvement factor. During the term of the 3-year contract, workers received a $.75 increase in wages including a $.40 from the operation of the escalator clause and $.30 from the operation of the annual improvement factor (a $.15 increase on the anniversary date of the contract in each of the past 2 years).
The Little Rock plant was built 5 years ago. It started with a modest-sized labor force, but during the past 3 years the southern plant has expanded sharply, and it now employs about 1,500 production and maintenance workers. Efforts to organize the southern plant have so far been unsuccessful. The union lost an NLRB election last year by 300 votes. Of the 1,500 employees, 1,300 cast ballots, with 800 voting against the union and 500 voting for it. The average wage in the Little Rock plant is
Collective Bargaining is important in the employment relationship as it recognises the TU’s right to represent its employees for consultative or bargaining purposes and represents a fundamental and irreversible change in the employment relationship (Trade Union Recognition Institute of Personnel Management 1977, p24).
3. Escalator clause: 7.5 points or 2.5. The escalator clause increases the wages that the employees receive given the increased cost of living. Although this issue can get material over time, at the moment inflation generally rages at about 2%, considering an extreme case of 5-7%, this is still not as material as the other issues at hand. However employees should not rely on the company to have their wages adjusted to inflation, usually this is a government regulated initiative. In this case it would be acceptable to only factor in 30% of the CPI. LAstly we would be still ok if we were to maintain the current structure however defer the CPI adjustment until the new plant is operating at full capacity. This is an incentive system for the workers as well as if implemented it would drive revenues given that overall efficiency would be improved.
Negotiation occurs on a regular basis in a daily life and individuals negotiate in business occasions or outside of the workplace. Having superior negotiation skills is conductive to the success in personal life and career development. This essay will indicate that my natural preferences for different influencing tactics, comparisons between theory and practice, and a personal action plan to improve negotiation skills based on the role-play activity in my class.
1. How did you plan for the negotiation? Explain how you decided on a strategy?
I feel the labor relations system as currently constituted is effective for resolving disputes as long as both parties are committed to negotiating in good faith. Although, I feel the current system is effective a further explanation of the systems strengths and weaknesses will better explain the effectiveness of resolving disputes. It is in both the companies and the labor interest to negotiate with as little third party interaction to come up with an agreement. In times when there are disputes their different course of action that start from a least costly without giving up power in the decision to the possibility of becoming more costly to either party and give up the power in the decision. As discussed in the text when an organization and labor cannot come up with an agreement a third party may be asked to come in to negotiations to resolve a dispute which includes mediation, fact-finding, and interest arbitration.
Jim will need to calculate the impact of the 20% wage proposal by the union. How does the proposal impact on the average hourly wage rate, the wage impacted benefit rate, the non-wage impacted benefit rate and the total compensation rate for Maple Grove in the first year of the new agreement? (5 marks)
c) It increases. This increase is the same at all values of capital per worker.
The second facet of the strategy will be determined by the experience of each driver and or employee. Incremental pay raises will be determined by the experience gained and performance level of the employee. These raises will have a set ceiling of an additional $5,000 per year, with a ceiling of $65,000 total annual salary. Minimum pay increases will be tracked based on company success and profits.
company is getting up to 35 percent more wages. One point I'd like to bring up
Getting to YES, Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In is an excellent book that discusses the best methods of negotiation. The book is divided into three sections that include defining the problem, the method to solve it, and possible scenarios that may arise when using these methods. Each section is broken down into a series of chapters that is simple to navigate and outlines each of the ideas in a way that is easy for any reader to comprehend. There are also several real life explanations for each issue that make the concepts easier to apply and understand. These ideas are reflective of a method developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project called “principled negotiation”. This method combines the two ideas of soft and hard negotiation
By taking this course, we have learned the different types of negotiations and the strategies to be used in
Collective bargaining is the process by which conditions of employment are negotiated between management, and the labor organization representing employees in the bargaining unit. However, “collective bargaining refers to a situation in which union members and officials meet with an intent to resolve any issues or conflicts, in an attempt to maintain relationships” (Holley, Jennings, & Wolters, 2012, p. 243). The collective bargaining process relies on four aspects: recognition of the meeting, meeting with appropriate parties, bargaining in good faith, and incorporating the reached agreement (Adam, 1997). Nevertheless, collective bargaining activities are governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA requires bargaining
8. Lesson and class employees’ wages and benefits will increase to $604,650. The wages and benefits of regular employees and the manager will increase 15 percent. Equipment depreciation and supplies, utilities, and miscellaneous expenses are expected to increase 25 percent.
Negotiating is a practice that allows for two sides to reach common ground and agree upon a specific settlement or transaction. During this at times complicated process, the bargaining sides develop a measure together to move forward in their business process. As a lead negotiator of a small firm, the research and analysis of the sought after contract has to be thoroughly conveyed to the U.S. Government. The small business’s negotiating team should be very familiar with the federal negotiating team and all that the federal government is expecting from the product they desire. As there are hundreds of competitors out there, it is safe to assume that there are multiple products out there. However, the negotiating firm of the small business must use different negotiating gambits and pay particular attention to the body language and examine the language used during the entire process.
When entering into contract negotiations, the objective of each side is to obtain a contract of greatest benefit to their organization. This desirable outcome never happens by chance; it is always the result of careful planning. A critical part of this planning is understainding the role of power. This includes determining who possesses the power in bargaining, and establishing strrategies to bargain with individiuals who have more power than you. This power is needed to obtain the advantage in negotiating which will increase the liklihood of obtaining the goal (Lewicki, Saunders & Barry, 2011). Once in the heat of negotiation, it can be too late to try to catch-up on planning which failed to occur before the negotiation process began.