Discussion:
Cost of Living
The City of St. Albans has a unionized police force that is coming up for a contract renewal. The police have one issue: the cost of living increases. During the past 10 years, police officers have received minimal cost of living increases, and this time they want to match what other police forces are making. They claim that their salaries are below the national level. The incoming new police hire earns a salary of $48,200. Using the websites provided in the research section, prepare data and an argument on behalf of the police officers to support their position. (from textbook.)
This assignment will be written as a PowerPoint slide show presentation (PowerPoint Tips). Approach it as if you are giving the presentation to governing board of the City of Albans. You are trying to persuade the board that the police officers need a raise.Your proposal should be:
• 8-10 power point slides
• The note section of the slides should be used to explain the slides.
• At least two recent and credible sources in addition to the textbook must be used.
• All sources should be cited using APA formatting.
• Charts, tables, graphs, etc., may be used.
• The first slide should be a title slide.
• The last slide should be a reference list.
Collective Bargaining
Collective Bargaining is the negotiation of wages and various working conditions of employment by an organized group of employees. This organized group is often a labor union. Two important terms to remember in collective bargaining are labor relations and collective bargaining agreement. Labor relations is any activity between management and unions or employees concerning the negotiation or implementation of a collective bargaining agreement. The collective bargaining agreement is a written and signed document between an employer entity and a labor organization specifying the terms and conditions of employment for a specified period of time (Carrell, M., & Heavrin, 2013).
The exact process chosen to follow during a negotiation depends on past history, individual skills, and negotiating styles. The first step in the negotiation process is the opening statement or session. During this session three key concepts should be covered:
1. Big picture
2. Ground rules
3. Key issues
The box below offers an explanation of each of these terms.
(Carrell, M., & Heavrin, 2013)
Some of the ground rules that need to be established during the negotiation are often referred to as the 5 Ws. The 5 Ws are:
1. Who will speak for each party?
2. Where will the negotiation meetings take place?
3. When, and how often and long, will the negotiating parties meet?
4. How will formal proposals and response be made?
5. What form of agreement will be acceptable for both parties? ( McCorey, 2006).
Once these ground rules have been established, the parties involved in the negotiation need to discuss the key issues that will lead to a settlement of the case. See box above for common key issues involved in negotiations.
Collective bargaining usually involves one of two strategic approaches. The first approach is the distributive approach which is typically used when the situation lends to dividing up resources. This approach is used when there is a fixed amount of resources and whatever one party gains, the other party loses (Thakur, 2011). This type of approach is typically used in every day situations such as when a customer makes a major purchase, like a car. In the business world a good example of a time to use this approach would be allocating new equipment across an organization. While each department will vie for as much of the new equipment as possible, the equipment will be divided based on the negotiation.
The second strategic approach to collective bargaining is called the integrative approach. The integrative approach is more about cooperation. This approach is utilized when there is a possibility to produce a greater outcome when the parties work together vs. on their own (Thakur, 2011). In everyday life this approach is often used to negotiate within families or with business partners. For example, an organization may need another company's resources and will bargain to which an agreement is decided on such issues as cost and time allotted.
When considering which approach might be best for a given collective bargaining situation, both parties should review information, timing and power position, the specifics to be negotiated, the people or parties involved, and the general context of the negotiations (Carrell, M., & Heavrin, 2013). It is important for negotiators to keep in mind that the strategy for each negotiation may be different.
Within the negotiation realm, there are a host of issues with ethical vs. unethical bargaining tactics. Professional and competitive negotiators often use tactics that are viewed by others as unethical or that violate the perceived rules of negotiation. Please note that while there are clear violations or unethical practices that may be used in negotiations, there is also a "gray" area in that the perception of unethical behavior does not always dictate that the negotiator has behaved inappropriately. The table below offers some insight to ethical vs. unethical bargaining tactics.
Attachment:- Ref.rar