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Negotiating Your Collective Bargaining Agreement

Date(s):
November 4 — 6, 2025
Venue:
Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative
Description:

Who Should Attend:

Anyone involved on either side of the table in any aspect of negotiating, administering, or supporting your CBA, including, but not limited to, human resources, labor/employee relations, all levels of management (line, senior, assistant general manager, general manager/CEO, and elected officials), and all levels of union representation.

Overview:

This comprehensive three-day training will guide you through any negotiation experience with emphasis on labor management contract negotiations. More than just information on how and what to do, this course focuses equally on what not to do. The class includes interactive exercises for hands-on practice to build and improve skill sets so you can continue to hone them well after the course concludes. The third day of training will be a full day of table negotiation complete with in-process coaching as well as peer and instructor feedback.

Objectives:

 During this course, you will learn more about:
  • Defining negotiation.
  • Negotiations philosophy/approach/styles.
  • Behavioral and physical preparedness.
  • Lawful obligations of negotiating the CBA.
  • Relationship/ethical obligations of negotiating the CBA.
  • Information/data-mining resources.
  • Costing models.
  • Evaluating potential influences.
  • Selecting and training your team(s)—it’s a team sport.
  • Ending the end run.
  • Maintaining the record.
  • Developing substantive, monetary, and housekeeping proposals.
  • Watching your proposal language to avoid future problems.
  • How to address unwritten past practices.
  • Vetting and prioritizing everyone's proposals.
  • Communications (before, during, and after).
  • Ground rules.
  • The three elements of every negotiation (time, information, and the 29 different types of power).

Instructor:

Bob Oberstein

Schedule:

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. Mountain Time the first day, and the class will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. Lunch and refreshments will be provided each day.

Location:

Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative     
150 Cooperative Way
Huntley, MT 59037
(406) 348-3411

Suggested Hotels:

Holiday Day Inn Billings East    
430 Cole St.    
Lockwood, MT 59101 
(406) 259-8600

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Billings   
27 N. 27th St.   
Billings, MT 59101   
(406) 252-7400

Northern Hotel  
19 N. Broadway 
Billings, MT 59101  
(406) 867-6767

Fees:

Utility Member Early Bird (ends 10/4/2025): $1,190      
Utility Member Standard: $1,265      

Associate Member Early Bird (ends 10/4/2025): $1,785       
Associate Member Standard: $1,860      

Non-Member Early Bird (ends 10/4/2025): $2,380      
Non-Member Standard: $2,455

 
Canadian utility members, please contact registration@nwppa.org for pricing and to register. 
 

Note: Organizations that register a group of employees will receive every fifth registration for free. For example, if you register five employees, you only pay for four; register 10 employees, you only pay for eight; and so on. There is nothing additional you need to do to receive this discount.

Cancellation Policy:

For webinarsvirtual classes, and section meetings: cancellations at least five days prior to the event will receive a full refund; within 1-4 days or no show, the charge will be 100% of the registration fee.

For in-person events: cancellations at least 30 days prior to the event will receive a full refund; within 15-29 days there will be a $100 fee; and within 1-14 days or no show, the charge will be 100% of the registration fee.
 

When possible, please send a substitute instead of canceling; NWPPA does not charge a fee for substitutions. To request a refund, please contact registration@nwppa.org or (360) 254-0109.

Continuing Hours:

This course qualifies for 18 continuing hours. Certificates are issued upon full completion of the course.

For More Information:

To find out more about this event, or to learn about other events, view the Training and Event Catalog.