As John Sturdivant puts it, partnership is the high-wire and collective bargaining continues to be the safety net. Third, effective partnerships must become part of the way an agency does business, not an isolated process. Increasingly, the emphasis in government is going to be on demonstrable results. Such initiatives as the Results Act and Performance Based organizations are driving change in the government, and partnership initiatives must link with these drivers of change. Next week I will be privileged to chair the Councils third annual partnership awards, at which we recognize managers and employees who have been using partnership to get results.
Partnership has a future because it makes sense.
Labor and management will always have differences, but it is simply in everyone's interest to work together to minimize our differences and maximize our common ground. Partnership thrives on communication and mutual understanding. This symposium is an important contribution to the ongoing public dialogue of partnership, and I am honored to be part of the dialogue and now I look forward to hearing the ideas and experiences of my colleagues. Thank you very much.