Mock Bargaining

Juniors and seniors from business, economics and related classes from Hempstead, Senior, Scales Mound, Clayton Ridge, East Dubuque, Beckman, Western Dubuque, Cascade and Galena high schools participate in the Dubuque Area Labor Management Council's Mock Collective Bargaining exercise. Students are divided into teams and paired with another team to negotiate a labor contract. Experienced contract negotiators that represent unions and employers in the Dubuque area advise the teams. Active mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in Iowa and Illinois are also on hand to assist the negotiations. Wellmark provides an advisor to help with understanding health benefits.

The purpose of the exercise is to improve student understanding of the roles that employers and labor unions play in the American economy, how the collective bargaining process works, and the factors that influence how labor contracts are negotiated and settled. They deal with wages, work hours, benefits and work conditions, and deal with the reality of workplace problems such as safety, absenteeism, quality, productivity and profitability. Information provided to students includes actual county, state and national economic data such as unemployment rates, inflation rates and health care costs.