Your assignment needs to include the following information:

• Part One:
  • Considerations for Management as they begin to prepare for negotiations
  • Beginning offer to the plant workers. This means if you were management for this firm, what would your initial/first offer be to the labor union employees in each of the categories below.
• Part Two:
  • Considerations for Labor Union employees as they begin to prepare for negotiations
  • Beginning offer to management - This means if you were the employees in the union, what would your initial/first offer be to the management of the firm in each of the categories below.
• Part Three:
  • Analysis of what you have gained from this assignment and insights you now have into labor union negotiations. Understand that negotiations go on and on sometimes for years. But each set of contract negotiations has to begin somewhere - and this is what I'm havihng you look at in this assignment. First offers don't include what you really want - it is your starting point.

CPFacWorkers Labor Union

Now, put yourself in the role of the negotiating team representing the CPFacWorkers labor union at Cooper Plastics in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Cooper manufactures plastic cups, plates, silverware, bowls, etc. There are a total of 95 factory workers in the bargaining unit of your union.

It is time to negotiate with the Cooper Plastics management team.

Your negotiations document needs to include the following - you must include these categories in both offers:

• Length of contract in years
• Base pay
• Annual increases
• Shift pay differential
• Overtime pay
• Number of workers per shift
• Benefits percentage of salaries
• Annual paid sick days
• Annual paid holidays
• Total increased costs
• Source of money for increased costs

Data from Current Contract, which expired in September 2020:

• Contract began in March 2016
• CPFacWorkers conceded to 20 layoffs when negotiating the 2016-2020 contract
• Remaining workers agreed to a 10% pay cut to help the company recover from the recent US recession
• Sick days were reduced from 10 to 6
• Holidays reduced from 10 to 6
• Shift differential pay:
  • 3pm-11pm $0.50 3/15-3/16 $.25 3/17-3/19
  • 11pm-7am $1.00 3/15-3/16 $.35 3/17-3/19
• Benefits are 28% of salaries

Current Salaries based on 2080 hours per year, base pay $10/hour

• 7am-3pm shift 50 workers - $1,040,000
• 3pm-11pm shift 30 workers - $624,000
• 11pm-7am shift 15 workers - $312,000
• Managers 10 @$30K, 2 @ $40K, 1@$50K, Pres/Owner $75K
• Overtime time and a half; 2017-2019 no OT has been worked

Sales: Profits:

• 2016 $4,000,000 2016 $1,040,000
• 2017 $5,250,000 2017 $2,392,000
• 2018 $6,000,000 2018 $3,300,000
• 2019 $6,200,000 2019 $3,400,000

Other Considerations:

• The United States appears to have come out of its 2008-2010 recession, though there are those who are beginning to say it will return in 2020 as recent stock market fluctuations may confirm.
• Cooper has new products scheduled to be coming out in mid-2020 which may help stimulate growth in the firms revenues and profitability.
• Management at Cooper does all hiring, scheduling, firing, and promotions.
• It has become increasingly difficult to get employees to work the 3-11pm and 11pm-7am shifts. Absenteeism is high on these shifts and productivity on both of these shifts are lower than on the 7am-3pm shift.