ABSTRACT
Public, nonprofit, and medical organizations in many states will inevitably need to negotiate with organized labor when making human resource decisions. With medical organizations in particular, professional organizations also can impact human resource policies and procedures. Preparation for any negotiation must start with development of the negotiating strategy. A key consideration for the management team is the selection of the labor negotiating team. This team will require a diverse set of skills, personalities, and backgrounds to make the team effective. Public sector associations often have strong supporters on the other side of the negotiating table. Public management personnel are limited when it comes to employing consultants to fill the skill gaps in the labor negotiation teams and supplement the organization’s negotiation capabilities. Issues involving human resources liability management should never keep an administrator from taking decisive action to deal with all the personnel matters within the public agency.
