The Florida School Board Attorneys Association and The Florida Bar Education Law Committee hosted a joint continuing legal education seminar on Friday, February 21, 2020.

During the seminar, Dietzen presented bargaining secrets he’s learned over his 30 years as a battle-tested negotiator for numerous school districts, cities, counties and sheriffs’ departments.

Some important points he reviewed:

• Communication is key: While not all employees are union members it is important to remember that all union members are your employees. Open communication can always provide a better workplace environment for all employees including union members.
• Depersonalize negotiations: People get to a point where they won’t listen to each other because there is so much anger. It’s important to depersonalize to get to exactly what the union/employees are asking for and then to have the talent, competent leaders and experts to help find the solutions.
• Even at an impasse, you can find a way to peacefully resolve the situation through negotiations. Sometimes it takes a mediator to diffuse the situation.