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Recognized as an Effective School-to-Work Practice, July, 2001

Mock Collective Bargaining

Teamsters Local Union 421
Dubuque, Iowa

Overview of the Project

The Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council (DALMC) recently concluded its tenth annual Mock Collective Bargaining exercise where more than 100 students from nine area high schools received training on what exactly it takes to negotiate a labor agreement. In the exercise, students divide into two teams, one side representing management and the other bargaining for the union. Teams are advised by expert negotiators whose unions and employers contribute their services on an in-kind basis. Active mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in Iowa as well as Illinois are on hand to help the teams reach agreement. The purpose of the exercise is to improve student understanding of the roles employers and unions play in the American economy. Students learn about the collective bargaining process and the factors that influence how labor contracts are negotiated and settled. During the Mock Collective Bargaining exercise students also deal with issues concerning wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions and with the reality of workplace problems such as safety, absenteeism, quality, productivity, and profitability. Information provided to students includes actual county, state and national economic data such as unemployment rates, inflation rates, and health care costs. David Baker, President of Local 421 comments, "The program teaches young people some important lessons and gives them the opportunity to experience the frustrations, obstacles as well as joys of reaching a successful agreement."

The program began in 1990 with the leadership of Steve Wohlwend of John Deer Dubuque Works and Bob Osten a teacher at Hempstead High School. Today, the committee continues with the ongoing support and leadership of David Baker of Teamsters Local 421 and Tim Piggott of AY McDonald Manufacturing Company, along with teachers from eight high schools. David Baker of Local 421 is also co-chair of the Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council, which is the primary host for the Mock Collective Bargaining exercise. Local 421, however, has been one of the main backers and promoters of this event through the leadership of Local 421’s president, David Baker.

Local 421 serves approximately 1,500 Teamsters throughout the Dubuque area representing members employed in such occupational areas as freight, construction, public sector employees, parcel/small package delivery (UPS), dairy, bakery, health care, and human services. According to David Baker, job growth for individuals in these occupational area fields ranges from average to very good.

The Need

The Mock Collective Bargaining program was intended to provide a means for high school students to become exposed to labor-management collective bargaining procedures and strategies. The related purpose was also to help students develop the life skill of negotiating. According to David Baker, "The program is intended to help make students aware of how to negotiate which is really a very important life skill the students will need throughout life as they purchase a house or car, for example. The Mock Collective Bargaining exercise teaches students these very skills."

At the time the Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council was coming together, they were searching for an identity, a way of supporting the community in various ways. The Mock Collective Bargaining program became part of the Council’s initial set of activities with a major focus on helping young people in the area’s public schools. Since the inception of the program, Local 421 has worked to ensure students are provided an interactive and hands-on learning experience that they will remember for years to come. Further, by directly engaging students in the negotiating process, students learn other valuable skills as well. Students learn, for example, about economics and its relationship to workforce development. They learn what it’s like to work in a union workplace, what it takes to develop a good contract, and the importance of having facts and good information in making the case during negotiations. The exercise also teaches students about the relevance of conflict resolution, and it helps to improve students’ communication skills.

Meeting the Need

The exercise begins typically at 8:00 am and adjourns at a news conference to announce the bargaining results at 2:00 pm. Students divide into two teams, one side representing management, the other bargaining for the union. Approximately 6 students are in each of the teams. About 120 students participated in the program this past year. Students came from high schools in Iowa as well as Illinois. Iowa students attended from Hempstead, Senior, Whalert, Western Dubuque, Cascade, Guttenberg, and Dyersville Beckman, and Illinois students from Galena and East Dubuque High Schools. At issue is the fictitious bleacher manufacturer known as Smedley Manufacturing Company. Management teams have to keep a close eye on the company’s bottom line as they attempt to work out a contract with the mock union known as Local 911 of the International Association of Bleacher Manufacturers, AFL-CIO. Local 911 represents all 460 workers at the Smedley Manufacturing Company.

The financial figures for Smedley Manufacturing Company are provided by professional union and management advisors who help guide the students through the negotiations. Teams are advised by experienced negotiators. Active mediators from the Federal Mediations Conciliation Service in Iowa and Illinois are on hand to help the teams reach agreement. Other unions, employers and organizations can sponsor students to offset some of the costs of the program. Personifying "good faith", the adult advisors teach students about the process and the issues at stake. They also serve as role models to help overcome the stereotypes and the "we-they" situations that sometimes are associated with collective bargaining. The advisors also show how to demonstrate honesty, trust, respect, responsibility, mutual understanding, and open communication.

Students receive a primer on the Mock Collective Bargaining process. Students receive specific information on the role of labor unions and employers who deal with a wide range of employment issues. The students also learn the mechanics of negotiating a labor agreement, the rules, regulations, and techniques of collective bargaining. Some students serve as journalists and cover the negotiations. Some of these students have had their stories published in national labor journals. At the end of the day, students conduct the news conference and present the results of the collective bargaining process. An example of last year’s Mock Collective Bargaining program agenda is shown in Figure 1.

The Results

What do students achieve by being a part of this program? One year, a student wrote to the local newspaper, "I learned that management has to be concerned about people, not just profits. I learned that unions have to be concerned about what people need, not just what they want." As part of the evaluation, students are asked to identify the most important thing they learned during the exercise. Here is some of the feedback that has been received to date:

• "The importance of being able to discuss rationally, even when angry."
• "How to work with people to get things accomplished."
• "It is very stressful to be in that situation and it takes a lot of compromising."
• "To better communicate with others and to be open to others opinions."
• "To have to set reasonable standards so that you can have an effective business."
• "Labor negotiations are hard!"

Many students routinely report that the experience is the "best trip" outside of school that they have taken. Most gratifying of all is that the experience has been enjoyable and they learned a lot.
According to David Baker, "Perhaps one of the most important lessons students learn is that when they go to work and they want to improve their working conditions, pay and benefits, there’s a way to do this. Even if they’re not in the union setting, they may know more about how to advocate for what they feel is important within their own work situation." The local high schools also report that students learn a great deal through this exercise and look forward to the opportunity to become involved.

Reflections

Dave Baker has identified several steps as well as strategies for union locals interested in developing a Mock Collective Bargaining program within their local community. The steps and strategies include:

• Start small – As you begin to develop the program, start with one high school and a few students. Each year review and revise the program and expand it as the interest of local schools and students grows.
• Form strong partnerships – Partners in this effort included the Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council, Local 421, school administrators and teachers, local business and other unions, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Holiday Inn, and other individuals and organizations. Building strong partnerships is the key to making the mock collective bargaining exercise a success.
• Work closely with schools in your community – Prepare materials that can be used to inform local high schools about the Mock Collective Bargaining program. Introduce the program to school administrators and teachers and rely on their help in selecting students and in briefing students about the program prior to the actual event.
• Provide an orientation program for advisors – It is important that advisors are clear on their role and responsibilities in guiding students through the negotiation process. This includes working with advisors to make sure that they fully understand that students are the negotiators, not the advisors. The Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council typically conducts an orientation session for advisors the evening prior to the day long collective bargaining exercise.
• Evaluate the event – In order to revise and improve the program from one year to the next, it is strongly advised that students, advisors and teachers be provided and opportunity to provide input on the collective bargaining event. This can be accomplished using a straight forward evaluation form that requests information on the strengths and weaknesses of the program.
• Follow-up back at the school – Recommend to high school teachers that they conduct a follow-up discussion immediately after the mock collective bargaining exercise. This gives students a chance to debrief and comment on the overall value of the program.

When asked about what should be done differently to make this program more successful, Dave Baker commented, "Revise and improve the program each year, don’t get hung up on the details, and keep the number of contract issues reasonable so that students can get through the day successfully."

More Information

For additional information about Mock Collective Bargaining contact:

Dave Baker, President
IBT Local No. 421
195 East 14th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Phone: 563-583-9149 / Fax: 563-583-6488
Email: IBTlocal421@aol.com

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