CONSENSUS BARGAINING IN WISCONSIN STATE GOVERNMENT - A NEW APPROACH TO LABOR NEGOTIATION

Wisconsin, always one of the pioneers in public sector bargaining, has ;contributed here a move from traditional to cooperative bargaining. A s in many jurisdictions, bargaining had developed in a way that produc ed a great deal of conflict, characterized by frequent and lengthy imp asses, a grievance backlog that reached 1,400 arbitration cases and a public and political leadership that was losing patience. This jointly written article illustrates how change can begin, the role of statewi de leadership, the resulting work behind the scenes and the possibilit ies. Since 1992, the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations and the state's largest labor union, the 27,000-member Wisconsin State Emp loyees Union (WSEU), have successfully used ''consensus bargaining.'' This cooperative, problem-solving approach contrasts sharply with the traditional adversarial and confrontational approach to bargaining. Co nsensus bargaining focuses on identifying and meeting bargainers' inte rests and creating a positive and constructive basis for discussions. This problem-solving approach has created more cooperative labor-manag ement relations in Wisconsin State Government, reduced bargaining time , stimulated creative new contract provisions and helped develop a mor e positive and closer labor-management relationship. There are several keys to successful consensus negotiation: management and union leader s must be committed to the process; leaders must model cooperative beh avior; bargainers should receive formal training in the process; negot iators must be candid throughout bargaining; and management and labor have to realize that reaching agreement on a contract is the beginning , not the end of creating a cooperative relationship. Wisconsin State Government, the WSEU, and other state employee unions have successfull y used the consensus process and are committed to this cooperative app roach.