Group Charter and Workplan: Bargaining Simulation - Teachers' Union

This assignment presents a comprehensive group charter and workplan developed for a bargaining simulation, focusing on negotiations between a teachers' association and a school board. The document outlines the introduction, member roles within the group, and the bargaining simulation dates, along with the anticipated ratification vote date and bargaining protocols. It includes a bargaining context assessment, evaluating the group's strengths, weaknesses, and bargaining power. The proposal preparation section identifies the key issues of contract length, workload, and teacher income, along with bargaining objectives. The final settlement checklist summarizes the key articles for negotiation, and the document concludes with references. This assignment is designed to provide practical experience in negotiating terms and conditions of work in a realistic workplace scenario.

Running head; GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 1
Group Charter and Work Plan
Name
Institutional Affiliation

GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 2
Introduction
The aim of this research is to conduct an evaluation of teacher’s workload and contract
length. We will review the administration roles under which we are going to consider the role
of each member, we will discuss the bargaining protocol and the rules of engagement. These
will be so essential in this research paper. We will also discuss the reflection of bargaining
power assessment. These points will be discussed in details giving relevant scenario where
possible. We will also provide relevant and useful references where possible. This will solve
several problems faced by teachers in the administration.
1Administration
Member Roles
The group charter involves the various commitments that each member of the group
will have and the purpose of these commitments within the organization. The purpose of this
organization is to ensure that as teachers, we experience excellent services as we offer our
services to those involved with the organization. The board of education requires a review of
the last collective agreement that was formed several months ago. The agreement having had
expired does not play any more relevant roles in its purpose (Larson & Gray, 2015). The
purpose of the organization, therefore, is to come up with new agreements concerning the
level of income as well as the quality of education provided for the schools involved. The
organization has to create a reliable plan that sees to it that all groups are maintained and are
treated fairly in terms of what they need.
The relevant posts will include a leader from the group to oversee all planning
processes and ensure that there are adequate meetings held, on a consistent and constant basis
(Schermann & Ennser, 2014). The meetings are to include sponsorship arrangements for any
expense incurred. The other role is to have a leader who looks into all the attendances for
each meeting. The record has to be constantly updated to ensure that there are reliable

GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 3
members for the goals that are to be set for the organisation’s sake. The other is dealing with
logistics and the uniforms necessary for events that are to be organised in the future. One
other role is that of the secretary who ensures that all information acquired from the meeting
is up to date and constantly recorded. The organisation, will work through the help of these
various leaders and the roles that are handed to each one of them.
Bargaining Simulation Dates
The major committees for this particular arrangement will involve the planners, the
secretary and the staff intended to be a part of the organisation. The president will also
temporarily appoint staff as the plans keep changing and getting updated. The most important
member of the committee are the planners since they determine the progress of the
organisation and the steps that are to be taken in ensuring that all the plans are a success. The
committee members are to follow the various terms of office to have orderly and well
planned events for the future as well as the necessary tools needed. The meeting schedule will
be twice a week for the necessary deliberations to be made as well (Hassel, Brooks & Perry,
2017). The reason why the meeting is scheduled for twice a week is due to the amount of
issues that need to be tackled throughout the season.
Anticipated ratification vote date
The anticipated vote date should be four weeks from when the meetings kick off and
policies are debated for approval. The purpose of the meetings is to come into an agreement
with the board of education, concerning the necessary approach towards offering quality
education and also receiving income as deserved for the teachers’ union. The meeting will
articulate the process that the board will follow in ensuring that all their requests and
demands are met. This meeting will have a specified order whereby the president will detail
the goals of the meeting and the planners will follow with policies that are required for the
debate and decision making processes. The quorum that will be required for voting on

GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 4
agreement and issues is based on the power and role that is held within the group. The
quorum will take into consideration the events that are supposed to propel the organization
forward (Ball, 2014). This means that along with having power and higher roles, they have to
be well versed with the rules and regulations meant to inspire the policies that are to be
passed and made official.
Bargaining Protocols/ Rules of Engagement
All rules will operate on the basis of the elected president. The meetings will only
take place following the president’s rules of order. The copy of operating rules for the
planning session will be attached to every person’s file for perusal, as the meeting progresses.
The rules of order may also be amended to the pleasure of all the leaders present. To
successfully amend this charter, the maximum number of voters will be a ¾ of the elected
quorum. There will also be a liberal list of rules for the votes made in order to ensure that the
plan is excellent (Nunnari, 2018). With rules that focus on the ability to change at any
moment, it becomes easy to cause change through the meeting as well. The protocol will be
that the quorum presents the final decisions to the president after the debate and policies have
been finalized for the official amendment.
1. Bargaining Context Assessment
Own group assessment
The group has several weaknesses and strengths that can be pointed out and rectified
or encouraged, respectively. The weaknesses include issues such as a lack of experience in
the creation of successful work plans. This means that the various group committee members
do not have an experience in the relevant skill sets towards ensuring that the organization gets
the demands that are laid across (Selig, 2018). For the committee to be well experienced, it
means that the policies are not restricted to only personal interest and limited knowledge but
also an outward perspective of what necessitates certain actions in leadership. The other

GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 5
weakness is that some of the members are not in a position to follow the stipulated rules in an
organization.
The strengths of this group are that there is an ability to quickly come up with policies
on the basis of a productive debate or opposing session. The relevance of having such a
strength is that it creates the motivation to move forward with the necessary plans. The group
is also well versed with the rules of conduct and also the necessary policies that have been
placed concerning education and teaching as a whole. This committee is well balanced and
reliable.
Reflection of the Bargaining power assessment
The bargaining power of the groups involved is at different levels. The committee in
charge expresses a strong ability to bargain and also see the projects that are proposed reach
fruition. The board of education is well versed with the issues that are raised and expresses
the higher bargaining power in some cases. This shows that with the relevant sources and
information, the board of education can have a better opportunity to win over the committee
compared to the other pressure groups that are causing a stir in the whole procedure and the
development of an organization. The bargaining power creates an advantage over several
other groups as well as the organizations that result from the same (Becher & Christiansen,
2015). This is what creates the competitive nature of the whole group and makes it relevant to
create policies that last as a way of showing more responsibility and capability. The level of
growth in the bargaining process is determined by the way in which each committee is able to
handle certain issues.
2. Proposal Preparation
The charter will refer to one item for negotiation, this means that the item to be used
in this case is the proposal that was created by the board of Education as an income reduction
strategy leading to the strike. The proposal is a relevant tool since it is also complete in terms

GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 6
of the rules and regulations that have been set to ensure that the level of education is at par
with the teachers’ income. At least, there should be a correlation also on the teacher’s side. In
other words, the teachers should feel that they are receive an equal share which is related to
what they are giving out.
Proposed Wording.
The proposed wording is relative to positive changes that have taken place as a result
and only the issues that have been revised to express the quality of what is needed as being
reliable and relevant to the group and the rest of the teachers’ union.
Issue
The problem in this case is the contract length, the work load and the income for all
the teachers. The quality of education is excellent and the relevant matters have been scraped
off the board of education concerning the teachers and the various benefits that they receive
as a result. The contract length barely matches the compensation received by the teachers.
This also affects performance in some way. The level of education and quality offered is
clearly determined by how well the teachers are taken care of. Teachers, just like a normal
human being want to feel that there is someone who cares about their wellbeing. The
necessity is to rectify these factors and create permanent and fare policies for the board of
education to refer to and make good use of.
Bargaining Objectives.
The main bargaining objective in this case is to ensure that all teachers receive equal
income as compared to the quality services they offer within the schools. The other is to have
the board of education withdraw their proposal to support the abilities that the teachers have
expressed and the rates at which they can cause change. The teacher’s association requires
similar benefits to other organizations that work under the control of similar boards. The
objective is also to create permanent policies and see to it that they function for the purpose

GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 7
of growth and relevance for a large group of teachers as well. The most reliable objective is
to reconcile the budget and ensure that all expenditure by the board is meant to benefit every
individual teacher, whether directly or indirectly. It’s usually very important to appreciate the
efforts made by teachers. The growth of these objectives is defined by how seriously the
committee takes the policies that are to be amended and creates a purpose out of the same
(Ravitch, 2016). The amendments made are mostly in favor of the most affected group in this
case which is the teachers who have been experiencing the effects of all the decisions made
by the board. This will solve some problems and create a little bit satisfaction on the teacher’s
side.
Final settlement Checklist
This is a list of all the policies that are to be finalized and added as a part of the new
processes for all teachers’ benefits and growth. The final settlement checklist is necessary for
articulating the needs that are to be met by the board and every other group that is involved in
the process. The most important and necessary factor is to ensure that the policies made affect
the needs in a positive way and provide quick solutions for the committee. Below is a quick
summary of the above points.
Article/Item # Mandate/Bargaining Requirement
Salary Scale The salary scale has to match up the quality
of education that is experienced in the
various schools. The current scale is not
reliable. The mandate therefore is to
increase the salary as the work load
increases.
Experience Placement and Increments The placement for new teachers has been
reviewed in order to create opportunities for
the already existent teachers and the
experience they have.
Extra hours at work Working extra hours attracts a certain
percentage above the normal income
accrued.
More teachers needed to substitute The teachers needed as substitutes will take
over for a month of every yearly leave and
also the holidays.

GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 8
Sick leave This is an issue that is mandatory to be
granted.
Contract length The contract length varies with the variation
in experience.

GROUP CHARTER AND WORKPLAN 9
List of References
Ball, S. J. (2014). Educational delusions: Why choice can deepen inequality and how to make
schools fair.
Becher, M., & Christiansen, F. J. (2015). Dissolution threats and legislative
bargaining. American Journal of Political Science, 59(3), 641-655.
Hassel, B. C., Brooks, V., & Perry, O. (2017). Beyond District/Charter: How City Leaders
Catalyze and Support Systems of Great Schools. Education Cities.
Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2015). A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge: PMBOK (®) Guide. Project Management Institute.
Nunnari, S. (2018). Dynamic legislative bargaining with veto power: theory and experiments.
Ravitch, D. (2016). The death and life of the great American school system: How testing and
choice are undermining education. Basic Books.
Schermann, K., & Ennser-Jedenastik, L. (2014). Coalition policy-making under constraints:
Examining the role of preferences and institutions. West European Politics, 37(3),
564-583.
Selig, G. J. (2018, August). It Governance—An Integrated Framework and Roadmap: How to
Plan, Deploy and Sustain for Competitive Advantage. In 2018 Portland International
Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET) (pp. 1-15).
IEEE.