Students Participate in Mock Collective Bargaining Exercise

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Although the company and union names were fictitious, the commitment of students negotiating a contract in good faith was not.

Approximately 50 students in the University of Dubuque's Negotiation and Conflict Management classes completed a mock collective bargaining exercise with the Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, in Heritage Center. Students understood what they completed in a few hours can take anywhere from several days to several months in the real world.

"I really enjoy seeing this event come together," said Molly Hein, EdD, assistant professor of business who teaches the class. "Students put in a lot of time and energy into preparing for the bargaining day. By working with the Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council, students benefit from the expertise of their council advisors while gaining hands-on experience through participating in the mock bargaining event. In the classroom, we have been focused on strengthening negotiation and conflict management skills throughout the semester and this event is an opportunity to apply those skills in a scenario similar to a real-world experience. This event is one of my favorite days of the academic year because I enjoy watching the students connecting the classroom to the real world in real-time."

Students were placed in four negotiation groups and assigned to a bargaining team representing either management or union. They took on roles including team spokesperson, financial analyst, and record keeper as they utilized the negotiation and conflict management skills developed during the semester to reach a contract agreement. Experienced negotiators whose organizations they represent are members of the Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council helped to guide the teams as advisors throughout the process.

Kelly Cooper, executive director of the Dubuque Area Labor-Management Council, said the goal of the exercise was to give students more information about labor management relations and show them how to negotiate in good faith as they may work for a company with a collective bargaining agreement.

"It's not us against them," Cooper said of the management and union groups. "It's for the betterment of the company but the betterment of the workers too. Where can they meet in the middle and leave the table feeling like they've gotten something from either side."

In the weeks leading up to the mock collective bargaining exercise, students worked in their teams with their advisors to determine which issues they would focus on. The list of possible issues included wages, insurance, retirement, attendance, childcare funding, and more. At the start of the exercise, the union teams provided their requests to the management teams. Afterwards, the teams met face to face and spent time caucusing within their groups, as back and forth offers were made to reach an agreement.

Lauren Livingston, a senior triple business, marketing, and human resource management major from Galesburg, Illinois, appreciated the ability to put herself in the shoes of a union member as her team advocated around issues related to wages, absenteeism, and more.

"It's really interesting," Livingston said. "You have to put yourself into the perspective of, 'If this is the job I'm working at, what do I want out of it.' So, you're trying to see the expectations for yourself in a real-world situation. It's nice that we have a group that we can talk through ideas."

Throughout the process, advisors were available to help give guidance but not actively negotiate. For Jason Tschiggfrie, a wage administration manager in labor relations at John Deere Dubuque Works, it's critical for students to go beyond the wage and into areas such as 401K, pensions, and holiday pay.

"This is one of my favorite events that I help out with," Tschiggfrie said. "... It's always fun to sit back and let the students do their thing and see what they come up with. I give them some good direction to start with, but I have no idea what the other side is going to want for demands. It's interesting to see what they come up with and how they counteroffer."

Students will be able to add the mock collective bargaining experience to their resume to showcase how they were able to incorporate negotiation and conflict management skills to reconcile differences and successfully negotiate a contract between management and the union.