Thoughts from an ODOT member on Coalition Bargaining

An ODOT member wrote thoughts on their first bargaining experience and I wanted to share.

I attended a bargaining session for my union for the first time on Monday night. Now, my Dad was a shop steward for his union most of my growing up years, and I had a general idea of what should be accomplished in a bargaining session. I was really shocked when I attended the session on Monday night.

The meeting was to begin at 6:30pm, but the representative from State Management didn’t bother to show up until 7pm or so. When he did arrive, he had nothing but a blank notebook and pen. The union was represented by the bargaining team, plus those of us who were there to support the union’s position on 3 or 4 key items. The Union’s bargaining team had prepared and ready to pass over a sixth proposal.

When the State Management representative initially sat down with us, he had nothing to say. He indicated he was going by memory on this, (nevermind that he has been to these meetings, and received documentation for ratification of the contract that ends on June 30^th since February of this year), and after some hemming and hawing, indicated that “they” would have some response to the last package they received from the bargaining team last week, at this meeting. Then he left to go to another room.

When they returned, he had more managers there to sit on his side of the table, but he was no more prepared than he was the first time… he did, however, present a token of his presence there, in the form of a proposal, that really just included some withdrawals that the union bargaining team had proposed, and a couple of “keep current language” notations… it was not any real movement on their part, while it was some movement on ours to accept it. We decided to accept it in hopes that it would move the “negotiations” forward toward a settlement on the key items that have held up this contract since February.

On the contrary, after we signed off on said proposal, he still was not prepared to respond to the proposal he received LAST WEEK! The point of this meeting was to get a response from that proposal, provided to him last week, and possibly provide him with the next proposal, you know, like MOVE FORWARD in this. Nope, despite his vague indication that he would be prepared to respond to the documentation received last week, his group proceeded to spend an hour working on a response he should have had prepared when he walked in, which should have been at 6:30pm.

Finally, at 9:30pm, the State Management group came back with their response, which was to make menial adjustments to current contract here and there, but no REAL response to the proposal, other than that there MAY be room to negotiate on one item, but only if we give up entirely on another KEY item that is of extreme importance to the employees statewide.

Okay, correct me if I’m wrong, but “negotiating” would have been for him to come back with an actual COUNTER to the proposal, at 6:30pm when the meeting was scheduled to commence, not some vague indication that there MAY be room to negotiate on item x if we give up item z. I’m really not convinced this guy actually knows the definition of “negotiate”… but unfortunately for all involved, he is the State Management Representative.

Early on in this, during one of the many times that he left the room for a half hour or so, this being my first bargaining meeting, I had to clarify a few things. So I asked questions… Is this guy getting paid to negotiate this contract? I mean, is he a professional, or is this kind of like a volunteer position, like Boy Scouts? Yes, he gets paid to be here, and represent the State Management Team.

Hmmm… it was my observation that were I to show up at a meeting that I was expected to represent one of two factions in for my job, I would be expected to be prepared, or face the consequences. And to show up repeatedly unprepared, and ineffective in my job, as he has done, I’d for sure be on a work plan by now! I have to say that I am honestly appalled at the lack of preparation, effective work effort and negotiation skills presented by this guy, for five months. I’m happy to say that I have never worked for a manager within ODOT that either was that ineffective, nor that would put up with that kind of incompetence on the job. That said, he obviously either is meeting his manager’s expectations, (that’s scary), or his manager is completely unaware of what he is doing, or rather not doing.

It was a real eye opener, and if this is business as usual for this guy, then I’m not at all surprised that we don’t have a contract yet. It does not bode well for the future, and is not in the best interest of State Management or Union Employees to continue down this road. Hopefully, someone will eventually take an interest in why it is taking so long for him to get the job done, attend a meeting, and perhaps deal with the disciplinary issues as needed.