The Teamsters Union is scheduled to enter into negotiations over a new contract with The Statton Canning Company. They have gathered a great deal of information about the rank and file preferences, the local labor costs, and national trends. What five essential things should they now determine by taking all this information into consideration?

Question

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Answer 1

The Teamsters should begin by identifying their interests and priorities. They need to understand what is most important for them to attain in the negotiations. Second, they need to identify their options for achieving their interests. They should decide, for example, what they are willing to trade in exchange for something they really would like to keep or get. Third, they should form their perceptions of what is fair given the external benchmarking they have conducted. Fourth, they should form their perceptions of what the Statton Canning Company's interests are and anticipate the demands of the company as well as their responses to the union's interests. Finally, they need to identify their best alternative (or most likely alternative) to a negotiated agreement (BATNA/MLATNA) and, by the same token, the minimum terms that are acceptable before accepting their BATNA/MLATNA.