THE UNION TRIBUNE:UNIONS, CITY FIND COMMON GROUND

Escondido, CA’s city manager and employee union leaders have had a rare meeting of minds. They each agreed to give up something to help close a $6.3 million budget gap in the coming fiscal year.  In return for the unions’ willingness to make concessions, City Manager Clay Phillips said he will ask the council to spend $10 million of the city’s $30 million in emergency reserves and special funds, which he had refused to use to cover deficits until this week.

Question to the Blogosphere:  Do you think there has been an increase in the number of negotiations between unions, employers, and government since the financial crisis?  What skills do you think are necessary to find common ground in these kinds of situations?  Economic negotiations have been occuring on the local as well as the regional and global levels.  What common ground do you think opposing sides have in economic disagreements and negotiations?