Negotiating Your Collective Bargaining Agreement

Dates

January 12 - 14, 2027

Venue

Northwest Public Power Association: 9817 NE 54th Street Vancouver, WA 98662

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 an 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.
Addressing 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 - Speaker

Schedule

Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. local time, and the class will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Hotel Information

Heathman Lodge: 7801 NE Greenwood Dr. Vancouver, WA 98662

Phone: (360)254-3100

Room rate: $99. Use the promo code NWPPA when booking online or mention you are coming in with the NWPPA group if calling to reserve a room.

Registration Fees

Utility Member Early Bird (ends 11-28-2026): $1,240
Utility Member Standard: $1,440
Associate Member Early Bird (ends 11-28-2026): $1,860
Associate Member Standard: $2,060
Non-Member Early Bird (ends 11-28-2026): $2,480
Non-Member Standard: $2,680

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

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 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 us at registration@nwppa.org or (360) 254-0109.