A city enters police bargaining with a one-line mandate to say no. Service levels and the adopted budget are not mapped to proposals. What should the CHRO build before the first session?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Just say no is a reflex, not a strategy. Bargaining is more like packing for a trip: what you must keep, what you can trade, and what blows the budget. Line that up with the city's service plan or the table will give away the wrong things.
Full Explanation
Collective bargaining is strategy aligned to service and budget, not reflexive opposition. A mandate should map proposals to adopted service levels and affordability, distinguishing must-haves from tradables and defining walk-aways before the first session. Matching a neighbor without costing, outsourcing the table solely to counsel without operations input, or a public greedy-union campaign substitutes politics for strategy. Senior HR's job is to give the city manager and council a coherent bargaining envelope.