5Catastrophe Forecasts

The Parks County School Committee’s bargaining team knew they had to find a way to make their next negotiation with the teachers union less disastrous. In all their recent attempts, they’d come to the table with good intentions of reaching a fair agreement, yet left with nothing to show for it but confusion, anger, and humiliation.

The reason for their failure was no mystery. His name was Bob, and he’d been the union president for the past two years. Bob had a reputation for being outrageous and unpredictable, stopping at nothing (including threats, taunts, and lies) to throw the other side off balance. And clearly, his tactics were working. Accustomed to calm, rational deliberations, the bargaining team had no good response ...

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