⠀About⠀

Testimonial

Joe Morgan and I first met in 2018 when he became superintendent of Rondout Valley Central School District. At the time he joined us, the teachers contract was just expiring that same year. I was a member of the teacher union's negotiating team, and he introduced us to Interest Based Bargaining (IBB). The teachers were hesitant at first to abandon the traditional trading of proposals we were used to. But once we bought into the process and decided to fully commit, it went amazingly smooth. What I liked about IBB is that it gets you to the same exact place in the end, but without the hard feelings and animosity. 

Since 2018 I have been through numerous rounds of negotiations both with Joe Morgan and other superintendents using the IBB process. I would highly recommend labor and management give IBB a try. Once you build a relationship of trust, IBB can be used not only during contract discussions, but also daily to solve problems. For me, IBB is a way of life and a mindset more than a negotiating strategy. 

Joe Morgan's vast knowledge and experience in IBB can facilitate and foster finding common ground, even when the two parties seem miles apart. I highly recommend putting your faith in the process, and giving Interest Based Bargaining a try!

-Rob McDonough

Rondout Valley Teachers Union President

Here is a brief analogy that illustrates reasoning behind interest-based bargaining:

It was the first day of summer and a mother walked into her kitchen to the sound of her three children bickering.  Once she settled everyone down she asked her oldest child, Suzy, what all the fuss was about.  Suzy said, "there are only three lemons in the fruit bowl and we each want all three of them!"  So the mother said, "there are three lemons and there are three of you, you each get one, there, problem solved!"  All three of the children said in unison, "NO, I need all of them!"  Mother replied, "well, it is not fair for only one of you to get all three, you all need to compromise, one each, that's final!"  The children skulked out of the kitchen, clearly dissatisfied with their mother's solution.  As the morning went on the mother talked to each child.  Through her conversations she learned that each child needed the lemons for different purposes.  She reconvened the three and shared what she discovered, "After talking with each of you, and getting past your positions, that you each needed all three of the lemons, I learned the real reasons, or interests, why you want the lemons.  Suzy wants to bake a cake and she needs the zest of three lemons, Johnny wants to make lemonade and needs the juice of three lemons, and Jimmy wants to grow lemon trees and needs all of the seeds from the three lemons."  By digging down into the real reasons, and asking why they needed the lemons, the mother was able to create more value from the limited resources, the three lemons, and each child walked away with what they needed, rather than dividing the lemons, she expanded the possibilities and created a win-win situation.