Engaging Unions and Negotiation Case Study

Unions, strikes, negotiations, and the like can cause big ripples in communities across the country. This engaging case study places students at the heart of a contentious union negotiation-- with the threat of a garbage collectors strike right around the corner!

The simulation takes place in the city of Cleantopia. The Waste Pros Union, representing the city's garbage collectors, are entering negotiations with the City Sanitation Department for a new contract. The current fleet of garbage trucks is aging, and many lack functioning air conditioning, leading to safety concerns and worker discomfort, as well. At the forefront of the negotiations is pay, though. Since their last contract, inflation has risen dramatically. As a result, workers feel very underpaid compared to their counterparts in other cities.

In this activity, student groups (Union management, workers, and city sanitation department) will negotiate with each other and fight the clock for an agreeable contract. The groups will debate on the following fronts:

• Pay: Workers want a 15% raise; the city offers 3%

• Working Conditions: Workers demand modernized trucks with functioning air conditioning

• Overtime: Union wants time-and-a-half for overtime; city wants to maintain current flat rate

• Paternity Leave: Workers request 8 weeks of paid paternity leave; city currently offers 2 weeks

What will they settle on? Will the union call for a strike? Will the city look to replace its workers? What will the public think?

Questions like these and more will help learning come to life with this simulation. Included with this product is:

1. A well designed class slide show that introduces the topic of unions, and walks students through the activity as well

2. A teacher guide that allows you to quickly understand the simulation and the instructions that each group is getting. It also provides ideas for altering the activity to make it more dynamic for your learners

3. An instruction sheet for the union management team

4. An instruction sheet for the garbage collectors

5. An instruction sheet for the City Sanitation Department