Contract negotiations set to start Monday Published Jan. 10, 2008 By Master Sgt. J.C. Woodring Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs DENVER -- Negotiations with the American Federation of Government Employees local 2040B is set to begin Jan. 14. The contract, which runs for three years, can be extended for an additional three years before it has to be renegotiated. The current contract is at the end of the six year process. To prepare for negotiations, leaders from within the Air Reserve Personnel Center and the AFGE attended an "interest-based bargaining" course offered by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a federal agency that promotes sound and stable labor-management relations. "The two-day course offered us a good perspective of emphasizing the 'why it's important' during negotiations rather than just saying 'we want' something," said Tony Martin, ARPC's civilian personnel chief. "We all want to do what is best for the employees, and by explaining why something is important to them, it should make the process go smoother." During the negotiations, members of both the union and management teams will review each article in the current contract. Once the teams agree with the updated article, they put that one aside and move on to the next, said Barbara Powelson, of the civilian personnel office. "The length of the negotiations will depend on how long it takes both sides to agree on the content of the articles," Ms. Powelson said. "We don't want to rush through it." After both parties agree on all the articles of the new contract, it is forwarded to the Civilian Personnel Management Service for review and to the union members for ratification. "Negotiating a labor agreement is about satisfying the mutual interests of everyone involved," said Mike Molina, AFGE local 2040 president. "The union is committed to the success of the mission at ARPC, and we want to ensure that the federal employees who have dedicated themselves to accomplishing that mission are well taken care of."