Services & Solutions
Collective Bargaining
Few things can match the complexity and volatility of negotiating benefits in a collective bargaining environment -- especially with School Boards.
Nowhere is it more difficult to balance the human needs of employees, the requirements of their collective bargaining unit, and the economic realities of a community’s tax base. The need for specialized knowledge and experience is imperative.
In addition to award winning customer service, a knowledgeable and professional staff, and the largest market share of NJ School Boards, LDP is further separated from our competition by our expertise in the area of collective bargaining. Our firm is uniquely qualified to act as either a resource for a Board of Education’s Negotiations Committee or as a part of the actual negotiation process. Our experience includes all phases of the bargaining process - including arbitration, mediation, and fact-finding.
As an example, when a client was facing an unusually tough bargaining unit and they believed they were losing ground, they turned to LDP for help. We worked with their negotiating team to draft a realistic, and, most importantly, an agreeable proposal including benefit enhancements as well as reasonable concessions. We helped explain the details of their proposal to the employee’s bargaining unit. Once our client’s position was clarified and all questions were answered, both sides reached an agreement in a relatively short time.
In another situation, LDP acted as a "player-coach." In the role of coach, we helped our client evaluate the various benefit plan alternatives. Then, after acting as a behind-the-scenes resource and guide, we rolled up our sleeves and joined them at the bargaining table. When benefits became the last, critical element in the negotiation, we stayed at our client’s side into the wee hours of the night. And, as it turned out, our input laid the foundation for a settlement that avoided what earlier had looked like a sure next-day strike.
In each of these two situations, our expertise in benefits plans and our collective bargaining experience were key elements in helping our clients negotiate mutually agreeable settlements.