Negotiations Get Underway
Negotiations Get Underway
On January 9th, the Negotiating Committee and the MEC met with the company for training facilitated by the National Mediation Board in Virginia. The National Mediation Board provided an introduction and instruction on Facilitated Problem Solving. Facilitated Problem Solving is a solution-based, collaborative approached to negotiations. Traditional negotiations are position-based. Our last agreement (the current contract) was negotiated using Facilitated Problem Solving.
From January 10th through 12th, the National Mediation Board facilitated negotiations between the Negotiating Committee and the company. The mediator, Patricia Sims, guided both teams through the collaborative discussion process:
Identify the question/issue being addressed;
List the individual interests of each side;
Meet separately to discuss which interests each team is willing to discuss;
Discuss the mutual interests and come up with possible solutions.
While we were not able to resolve any of the specific items that were discussed, the frank discussions did help each side to better understand the concerns of each team. We will continue this process and the discussions when we meet again in Honolulu.
What’s Next?
Our next meeting will be in Honolulu during the week of February 20th, when we will exchange full opening proposals.
As a reminder, our email address is open and available for questions, comments, or suggestions. Our address is AFAcontract2017@halafa.org
Mahalo from the Negotiating Committee,
Sharon Soper, Diana Huihui, Ka'imi Lee, Martin Gusman, Jeff Fuke and
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator
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