Think about the makeup of the municipality s bargaining team. Consideration should be given to who will be the chief spokesperson, which administrative personnel will be present, and to what degree elected officials will sit at the table as part of the team. Due to the growing complexity of negotiations, it is becoming more common to enlist the assistance of a professional negotiator knowledgeable about negotiations in the public sector to act as spokesperson. Although elected officials may also sit on the team, an elected official is rarely the spokesperson, to avoid various political ramifications. If elected officials are members of the negotiations team, the team should never consist of a quorum of the municipal body.
Preparation also includes consideration of past concerns under the collective bargaining agreement.
The administration should be asked if there were any problems in applying the terms of the agreement. The administrative staff and supervisors responsible for implementing the past contract often will have direct knowledge of areas of concern. These key people will have suggestions as to where there may be a need for change within the collective bargaining agreement. There may be a need to clarify language or propose new language to solve the problem. In addition, the team should review past grievances to see whether language changes are indicated.