Friday, September 30, 2005
CBC 118: Ford has a better idea
The Globe and Mail Report on Business today looks at why the negotiations between Ford and the Canadian Auto Workers went so well.
Excerpts:
And the key point:
Where did Ford send its neogtiating team for training? One thing is certain, it probably wasn't the Niagara Institute. And the taxpayers' money would have been better spent on a local call from Toronto to Oakville to ask "Where are you guys going?"
Update: I received this e-mail from a locked out producer:
Interesting point you make about Niagara in relation to the Ford-CAW story, Robin.
The funny thing is, I went to Niagara and we had a session about resolving conflict that was all about dialogue, problem solving, and trying to find common ground. The basic tenet was, find out what the other side really needs, and maybe it's the means that are the problem, not the ends.
That said, it's apparent that this message is sadly absent from the management side of the bargaining table. CMG has said if it's flexibility you want, we'll give it to you (as we do now). But CBC is bent on the means -- contract workers -- not the ends -- flexibility.
I think the Big 3 settlements are a great counter-point to what's going on here. These are two entities that have shown animosity and entrenchment in the past, and the Big 3 are all hurting financially. Yet all three came to quick, solid agreements with the CAW that meted out a little pain for both sides, but enough long-term security that the business won't collapse and jobs will continue.
Technorati tags
Ford, negotiation, CBC, CAW, news, lockout,
CBClockout,Canadian Auto Workers
9:21 AM posted by Robin Rowland
Permanent Link
Links to this post
The Globe and Mail Report on Business today looks at why the negotiations between Ford and the Canadian Auto Workers went so well.
Excerpts:
In five intensive days, without a single table-banging incident or raised voice,[Ford negotiator] Stacey Allerton Firth quietly became the newest Canadian industrial relations idol.....
“She paid attention, she didn't miss an issue, she didn't misread an issue,” [CAW head Buzz] Hargrove said...
Ms. Allerton Firth said over a vegetarian lunch that she simply treated the negotiators on the other side of the table the way she likes to be treated...
Issues were talked out rather than fought out, in an atmosphere of mutual respect, she said. And there was no negotiation by exhaustion...
And the key point:
... the Ford team received training in communications and problem-solving because they wanted to know “how you talk about tough issues in a way that invites dialogue,” Ms. Allerton Firth said.
“If you need the help of the other party in solving business issues, they need to understand what they are. You have to share a lot of information.”
Her team was also trained in “active listening skills” to better understand the union's concerns."
Where did Ford send its neogtiating team for training? One thing is certain, it probably wasn't the Niagara Institute. And the taxpayers' money would have been better spent on a local call from Toronto to Oakville to ask "Where are you guys going?"
Update: I received this e-mail from a locked out producer:
Interesting point you make about Niagara in relation to the Ford-CAW story, Robin.
The funny thing is, I went to Niagara and we had a session about resolving conflict that was all about dialogue, problem solving, and trying to find common ground. The basic tenet was, find out what the other side really needs, and maybe it's the means that are the problem, not the ends.
That said, it's apparent that this message is sadly absent from the management side of the bargaining table. CMG has said if it's flexibility you want, we'll give it to you (as we do now). But CBC is bent on the means -- contract workers -- not the ends -- flexibility.
I think the Big 3 settlements are a great counter-point to what's going on here. These are two entities that have shown animosity and entrenchment in the past, and the Big 3 are all hurting financially. Yet all three came to quick, solid agreements with the CAW that meted out a little pain for both sides, but enough long-term security that the business won't collapse and jobs will continue.
Technorati tags
Ford, negotiation, CBC, CAW, news, lockout,
CBClockout,Canadian Auto Workers
9:21 AM posted by Robin Rowland
Permanent Link
