Introduction

In all aspects of society life, conflicts are bound to occur. These conflicts are
normal and may in fact contribute to the health of the community. However, the
positive contribution of conflicts greatly hinges on the conflict resolution
schemes which are employed. As such, it is imperative that the people involved in
the conflict resolve the issues constructively. Key to the constructive resolution
of conflicts is the use of negotiation tactics and strategies.

In this paper, I shall review a conflict resolution between the Newtown School
board and the Teacher’s association. As a member of the teacher’s association
bargaining team, I shall analyze the various bargaining issues and the negotiation
process that the two sides engage in so as to arrive at an agreement that suits
parties across both sides of the divide.

The dispute
The first step in the negotiation process is to describe what it is that you want
to negotiate. This is based on the concept that negotiation involves a conflict
about particular resources. The participants therefore identify if there is a
situation that needs to be negotiated. In the Newtown School dispute, the issues at
play include the renewal of a contract between the board and the teachers following
the expiration of the previous contract.

There exist a number of contentious issues which have so far resulted in the
unsuccessful finalization of the new contract.

One of the contentious issues is the desire by the board to decrease the number of
programs offered to students as well as decrease the number of teachers under its
current employment. In addition to this, the board proposes to increase the
workload of the teachers so as to increase the systems effectiveness therefore
enabling it to work well within the budgetary constraints.

The teacher’s association bargaining team of which I am a member is opposed to all

this proposals by the school board since it sees them as detrimental to the welfare
of the teachers. While the board wishes to negotiate a three year contract, the
Teacher’s association wants a one year contract which it believes will guarantee
flexibility for its members. In addition to this, the my team is opposed to the
idea of decreasing the number of teachers in Newtown Schools as well as increasing
the work load of the teachers.

Negotiation process
Having acknowledged the presence of a conflict, the negotiations can be deemed as
being ready to begin. The process ideally begins by both parties presenting their
issues which are mostly in the form of demands and goals to be met.

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Negotiation involves exchange of proposals and demands so as to reach a solution.
The Newtown case in particular presented well defined goals by both parties
involved. The goal of my team is to prevent the reduction of the teacher’s work
force as well as ensure a flexible contract is given to the teachers.

The Teachers Association team also wants to ensure that the workload of the
teachers is not unfairly increased. The goals of the Newtown School board is to
reduce the cost of running schools by cutting on the number of teachers employed as
well as the number of programs offered at schools. In addition to this, the board
aims to increase the number of years for the teaching contract so as to stabilize
the situation by creating orderly and predictable budgetary needs.

Despite the presence of these polarized interests between my side and the school
board, there exist interests that are common to both sides. Both parties involved
are genuinely concerned about the well being of their community and in particular,
the quality offered to the children.

As such, it is desirable to reach a solution that does not alienate the teachers
association and the school board since these two entities have always coexisted
peacefully. In addition to this, both parties are subjected to the pressure of the
community to come up with a solution that will not result in derailing of the
educational process of the children. These joint interests are very pivotal in the
reaching of an agreement.

Once the various positions of the negotiating parties have been established, the
negotiating process can commence. For the negotiation process to be undertaken a
strategy has to be followed. The strategic choice that was employed in this
negotiation was the concession making.