9.1: Prelude to Conflict and Negotiation

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The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. - Dale Carnegie

During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively. - Brian Koslow

Negotiation Breakdown

You are part of a team charged with negotiating the new collective bargaining agreement for your union. Your union is requesting profit sharing, a 10 percent raise for all union members and an additional week of vacation time.

When you go into the meeting with management, they present their terms, which include a 5 percent pay cut due to lower product demand and greater responsibility to cover the cost of health care for union members, which would amount to about $50 per person, per paycheck.

The lead team member laughs at management's requests and tells them they have a long way to go in order to avoid a strike. You are uncomfortable with this comment, as you believe it doesn't set the right tone for the negotiation. In addition, the statement appears to be threatening, which you know is something to avoid during negotiation.

When your team presents their items, management says there is no way they can meet those demands, so the union better get more realistic about the current economic state of the company.

As you leave the bargaining table with no progress, you know there is a long way to go before the union and management will be able to come to a resolution.

The focus of this chapter is to discuss conflict and negotiation and how to avoid situations such as this one when negotiating.