As you know, SDFA and our District are currently working on a new Master Contract utilizing, once again,

the interest-based process. Based on member input gathered last school year (details provided in past Vanguards and Bulletins), SDFA is addressing our members interests with the District. Our interests, while prioritized by the SDFA Executive Board as high, medium, and low, also fall into general categories of: contract language interests, health care-related interests, or salary/financial interests. As usual the SDFA/District have agreed to discuss contract language interests first, then health care-related interests next, and then, finally, salary/financial interests. This process is followed as some contract language and health care-related interests have a cost involved, and that potential cost should be known before we look seriously at each others salary/financial interests. All costs eventually are paid out of the same District pot of funds, so money spent in one area is not available to spend again somewhere else. Productive negotiations meetings are underway in September and will be continuing into October. A mutual goal of SDFA and the District is to have a new agreement as soon as is reasonably possible for our members and the School Board to review. The interestbased process usually does take a great deal more time and energy than the old adversarial methods. Working cooperatively in an attempt to meet each others interests is much more difficult than just being positional and making demands of one another. Your continued patience and support is appreciated. As has been demonstrated many times in past years, we have ultimately produced an excellent new working agreement. Most of you will remember that per the interest-based process guidelines SDFA and the District follow, specific details of each negotiating meeting are not shared by SDFA with our entire unit or by the District Negotiations Team with the School Board. The interestbased process does not work successfully in a piecemeal fashion. Pieces or parts of a new agreement (whether it be about language, health care or financial interests) are not shared along the way to agreement on a new contract. The interest-based process we employ calls for our members and the School Board to consider our new agreement as an overall package. While there may well be some small piece of an entire package that some unit or school board member dislikes, we are looking for consideration and review of an overall package. It is rare in life that anyone loves 100% of anything, and there may well be areas of compromise within an interest based bargaining agreement where either the SDFA or the District did not end up with meeting a particular interest completely; however, the overall package remains a success and is not something either side wants to withhold from being approved. Most definitely, interest-based bargaining requires the patience and trust of both constituenciesour unit members and the School Boardbut it can be stated confidently that the successful contract resolutions generated in past years have more than earned that patience and trust. For those new employees who may not know much about interest-based bargaining, SDFA would like to share some information about the process and how it works. In years past, the California Foundation of Employer- Employee Relations (CFIER) was instrumental in providing the training and support for both SDFA and the District as we

began our successful pathway to intelligent negotiating. In this Bulletin, we would like to share a few initial highlights from CFIER that might shed some light upon this process.

CFIERs Keys to Success

Key #1: The Future Is More Relevant Than The Past There is not one right way to enter a collaborative venture. But one thing has proven true time and again: The parties desire for a better future can prove a much stronger influence than the nature of their past history. Some groups begin after an excess of bitterness and acrimony lead them to the conclusion that there must be a better way and were going to find it. Others feel they are just stuck in the old patterns, or even doing OK, but are looking for a process that will help catapult them forward in their ability to solve problems and meet the new challenges of a changing world. (As many of our members know, SDFAs initial foray into interest-based bargaining came shortly after the most acrimonious negotiations conflict in the districts history). Key #2: Building Commitment and Working Together to Learn New Skills and Approaches Is Essential Labor-management change cannot succeed over the long haul if they are imposed on a group by the unilateral decision of any party, regardless of how well-meaning, wellfinanced, or well-orchestrated. The best chance for success comes when labormanagement work together to learn more about collaborative efforts, decide together what type of training or assistance they want and need, and, after their initial exploration, decide together to make the commitment to try a new approach to their labor relations. No matter which approach or techniques are used, learning new concepts and new modes of behavior will be required. But it is important to remember that the labor management relationship itself must undergo fundamental change if the new approaches are to succeed. The operative word is relationship; and therefore, sincere and consistent efforts must be made in order to bring about this change. Key #3: The Interests of the Parties Must Be Met The best non-adversarial approaches involves focusing on the INTERESTS of the parties rather than on taking positions. This allows all groups to look more deeply at what they truly want and need. It is also true that once having developed a more positive, trusting, and constructive working relationship, it becomes much easier for a more open and honest appraisal and communication of each others interests. The primary focus of any successful labor-management relationship must be to get interests met. Building a stronger relationship will help everyone redefine their true interests. It will also help both parties to communicate even unpopular or controversial interests more directly. But, once redefined and communicated, both parties must work diligently to get those interests met. Key #4: It Takes a True Partnership to Make Interest-Based Relations Work A strong management and a strong union are essential if a true partnership is to be established. Absolute acceptance of the other partynot acceptance that their conduct or values or perceptions are correct, but acceptance of their right to have interests and to seek to have those interests metis a must! It is a matter of changing any existing

(often unwritten or informal) behavior norms, attitudes, and practices. To truly create an equal partnership takes a very focused commitment. This commitment can be assisted and supported by both parties efforts to sincerely understand and respect each others differences and culture. With mutual trust and respect, both parties can then productively work to meet each others needsagain, without compromising interests.