Preparations for negotiations are always essential, and Local 698 IAM members at UPS are getting ready to sit down for coming contract talks with the parcel carrier.
On Feb. 4, the five-member team met in Westland, Mich., to review many aspects of contract bargaining techniques and strategies with William Winpisinger Education and Technology Center Education Representative Jeff McLeod.
“I was delighted with how the negotiations team presented themselves during the simulation,” said McLeod. “They’re a solid team and will be ready to meet with the company across the table.”
McLeod traveled to the Midwest to educate the team on various negotiation topics. The five-day, eight-hour planning meetings covered internal organizing, strike preparation for committees, strategic planning, contract proposals, drafting contract language, and presenting proposals. In the middle of the week, the team was able to conduct negotiation simulations and then debrief about how they presented themselves at the table.
“This dedicated Local 698 IAM UPS Negotiations team is now prepared and will work diligently for the membership on these contract talks,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan.
“The negotiating committee and I have been working very hard to ensure the members of UPS/LL698 maintain and expand the benefits they have fought for and earned,” said IAM District 60 Business Representative Heather Hildebrand, who oversaw the team’s work. “As we prepare to sit down at the table with the company we are ready to show why we have earned the name the Fighting Machinists.”