Principled negotiators are instructed to always try to maintain or improve long-term relations with the other side. While the best agreements may seek to improve long-term relations, this is not always a practical or desirable goal. Principled negotiators are also told to set aside trust, that is, to employ a model of bargaining that does not depend on trust between the parties. McCarthy argues that this approach underestimates the importance of trust in negotiations. Trust is needed in order for the parties to risk exposing their interests and alternatives.
Trust fosters informal contact between bargainers which in turn facilitates more formal contact.
Fisher and Ury further stress the importance of taking community interests into account when crafting an agreement. McCarthy points out that in labor disputes both sides claim that their positions are best for the larger community. In labor disputes the nature of the community's best interests are themselves in contention, and so focusing more narrowly on the parties interests may be the best way to reach a settlement. Another principle cautions negotiators to avoid extreme opening positions. McCarthy notes that extreme opening positions have become part of the ritual of labor negotiations.