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The Rewards of Shopping for Fashion From A Dump

“I used to be ashamed of my secret. But I’m ready to come clean…When I was a fledgling fashion editor, living broke in New York, the dump was my secret.” V. Hyland, The New York Times, May 4, 2022

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Credit- Illustration by Dana Robinson

Excerpt: I’m a Fashion Editor, and I Shop at the Dump, By Véronique Hyland, The New York Times, May 4, 2022

“Or at least, it was a secret in New York. On the summer trips I made to small-town Massachusetts, the dump there was an agora of junk, a festival of refuse — the local newspaper listed what was new and hot, and people gathered just to gossip and shoot the breeze. I’ve never been bold enough to fish directly from the dump’s central piles of rusted castoffs.

But its Swap Shop — a tiny cottage — had come to serve as a free boutique of sorts, and there I discovered many items of weird delight, including a pair of sky blue clogs that could pass for Rachel Comey, and a circa-1970s Gucci scarf, patterned with leaping zebras, that earned me compliments at Paris Fashion Week…I loved the Swap Shop, and not only because everything was free. When I walked into curated, antiseptic boutiques, I felt starved for novelty…As the years went by, and the 1 percent inched closer to making up 100 percent of the town’s population, the summer people began to drop off some jarringly pristine items. I’ve dug out perfectly wearable A.P.C. sweaters and COS shirts, and a family friend told me about finding a Ferragamo bag with leftover cash inside it…Making new things out of others’ castoffs is something small-town America has done for decades, in a sort of municipal precursor to Free cycle or Buy Nothing groups. The importance of sharing resources became increasingly clear as the Covid-19 pandemic raged. For more and more people, getting free stuff from neighbors went from being a quirk, or a fun excuse for a day’s outing, to being a necessary form of mutual aid.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 60 minutes.

Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.

Objective: Students will read and discuss the article with a focus on improving reading comprehension and improving oral skills. At the end of the lesson students will express their personal views on the topic through group work and writing.

Predictions: Using a Pre-reading Organizer

Directions: Examine the title of the post and of the actual article. Next examine any photos. Write a paragraph describing what you think this article will discuss. A pre-reading organizer may be used.

Pre-reading chart by J. Swann

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

I used to be ashamed of my secret. But I’m ready to come clean.
The tag dated the garment to the last millennium.
Extravagantly sturdy, it had the air of what magazines might call an investment piece.
My friend sitting next to me at a New York Fashion Week event inquired about its provenance.
My coat was from the dump.
When I was a fledgling fashion editor, the dump was my secret.
I’ve never been bold enough to fish directly from the dump’s central piles of rusted castoffs.
Luxury brands that once destroyed unsold merchandise are now thinking of ways to reinvent it.
I began thrifting and scrounging my way to some semblance of personal style.
Salvage and resale have become antidotes to the conveyor belt of fast fashion.

Grammar Focus: Word -Recognition

Directions: Students choose the correct word to complete the sentences taken from the article. They are to choose from the options presented.

When I began thrifting/thrift and scrounging mine/my way to some semblance of personnel/personal style, there/their was/were still something shameful about admit/admitting that your/you’re clothes has/had a past/pass, unknowable-to-you life. Ive/I’ve spent/spend a decade and a half covering fashion.

Reading Comprehension Fill-ins

Directions: Place students in groups and after they have read the entire article, have them complete the following sentences taken from the article. They can use the words and terms from the list provided, or provide their own terms. They are to find the meanings of any new vocabulary.

(I’m Elle’s fashion features ___now), and ___that time I’ve seen the___ awakening to sustainability and reuse. ___brands that once ___and even___unsold ___are now thinking of ways to ___it.

WORD LIST: reinvent, merchandise, burned, destroyed, Luxury, over, industry, director

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Directions: Have students discuss the following questions/statements. Afterwards, students share their thoughts as a class. To reinforce the ideas, students can write an essay on one of the topics mentioned.

Have you ever looked for clothes in a dumpster? If yes, did you find any good items?
Make a list of questions that you would like to ask the author.
List three new ideas that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading, two things that you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you would like to know that the article did not mention. Share your responses with your class.

ANSWER KEY

Category: Culture, Economy, Environmental, Social Issues | Tags: Fashion in a garbage Dump

Employees Are Suing Their Employers for Their Work From Home Expenses

“In the more than two years since the pandemic shut down many offices, employees across the country have been forced to set up desks in cluttered kitchens and cramped bedrooms… A rise in employee lawsuits demanding reimbursement [some as high as $5,000] for expenses incurred while working from home during the pandemic.” H. Martín, Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2022

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Getty Images

Excerpt: Workers are suing their bosses to get their work-from-home costs reimbursed By Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times, April 12, 2022

‘We have tons of these in the pipeline,’ said Jacob Whitehead, an attorney who has filed about 20 class-action lawsuits over business expenses demanded by employees.

Home expenses such as telephone and internet fees, extra energy to heat or cool a house and office supplies can add up to $50 to $200 a month per employee, according to more than a dozen lawsuits examined by The Times.

If expenses were incurred during the entire duration of the pandemic, that could add up to as much as $5,000 for every worker. Some lawsuits are also demanding payment for the potential revenue employees could have collected had they rented out their home office instead of using it for work…

Other lawsuits, many of which are still working their way through the court system, have targeted such business giants as Wells Fargo Bank, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Visa, Oracle and Bank of America…The lawsuits highlight one of the most dramatic changes the pandemic brought to the business world: the widespread transfer of employees from business offices to home offices to help minimize the spread of the coronavirus.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 60 minutes.

Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.

I. Pre-Reading Activities

KWL Chart

The K-W-L chart is used to activate students’ background knowledge of a topic in order to enhance their comprehension skills.

Directions: Have students use the KWL chart to list the information they already know about people working from home during the pandemic. Next, have students list the information they would like to learnLater in the Post- Reading segment of the lesson, students can fill in what they’ve learned about the topic.

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

It has been more than two years since the pandemic shut down many offices.
White-collar employees across the country have been forced to set up desks in cluttered kitchens and cramped bedrooms.
Another consequence of the mass relocation of office workers: A rise in employee lawsuits demanding reimbursement for expenses.
There are tons of lawsuits over business expenses demanded by employees.
If expenses were incurred during the entire duration of the pandemic, that could add up to as much as $5,000 for every worker.
Many companies paid for snacks and lunch for employees who worked in the office — perks that were eliminated when members were ordered to work from home.
Other lawsuits, many of which are still working their way through the court system, have targeted business giants.
Companies that are being sued for failing to reimburse their employees have argued that the pandemic caught them off guard and unprepared to respond.
The lawsuits highlight one of the most dramatic changes the pandemic brought to the business.
Workers said they teleworked frequently before the coronavirus outbreak.

Grammar Focus:Structure and Usage

Directions: The following groups of sentences are from the article. One of the sentences in each group contains a grammatical error. Identify the sentence (1, 2, or 3 ) from each group that contains the grammatical error.

New social codes developed between employees and employers.
This was another consequences of the mass relocation of office workers.
Home expenses such as telephone and internet fees can add up.

Seppala was laid off from Better Mortgage in December of 2021.
Better Mortgage did knot respond to emails seeking comment on the case.
The tech industry has faced strong criticism from workers after cutting perks during the pandemic.

III

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, got pushback from employees last month.
Other lawsuits have targeted such business giants as Wells Fargo Bank, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Visa, Oracle and Bank of America.
Visa declined too comment on the lawsuit.

Reading Comprehension: Identify The Speakers

Directions: Read the following quotes from the speakers in the article. Then identify the speakers.

“We have tons of these in the pipeline.”
“This is one of those pandemic-related issues that rose very suddenly.”
“As soon as we started working from home, I realized how much day-to-day money I really had because of how much went toward paying for that stuff.”
Her bosses have failed to reimburse her and other employees for a variety of business expenses since sending them to work from home in March 2020.
The cost shouldn’t be shifted to the employees…This benefits the business.”
“For equipment like laptops, webcams, microphones and a work desk, it is reasonable for an employer to pay for this…For more general costs like refurbishing a home office, improved broadband or lunch, that is less common and would depend on a case-by-case basis.”

III. Post Reading Activities

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Did you have to work from home during the pandemic? Did you incur expenses while you worked? If so what were they?
Did you have to attend school from home? If so, do you think students should be reimbursed for expenses incurred while working on their computers? Why or why not?
What are some of the expenses incurred by employees who were forced to work from home during the pandemic?
Do you agree that employees should be reimbursed for these expenses? Why or why not?
What were some of the perks employees had while working from the office?
Why are so many well known businesses being targeted with lawsuits?
What are the reasons companies are giving for not reimbursing their employees?
Do you agree with the companies or the employees? Provide reasons for your response.
Why are some employees conflicted about suing their employers? Do you think they are correct in feeling this way?
List three new ideas that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading, two things that you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you would like to know that the article did not mention. Share your responses with your class.

ANSWER KEY

Category: Business, Culture, Economy, People | Tags: Workers sue bosses

Returning to Work: Some are Happy Others Not So Much

“In Boston, as across the nation, a ‘back-to-work March’ has begun. With the omicron variant now on the wane, companies from American Express to Meta and Citigroup – are officially calling on employees to return to the office this month, while also trying to stay flexible enough so as not to lose those who prefer to work from home.” T. Smith, NPR, March 8, 2022

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Pragadish Kalaivanan, a marketing analyst, got up extra early to dress for work before his first days back at the office in Boston. He’s among those happy to still be able to work two days from home, as the company’s new hybrid policy allows. Tovia Smith/NPR

EXCERPT: Returning to the office, a moment of joy for some. Others, would rather stay home, Tovia Smith, NPR, March 8, 2022

“Steve Tordone has been waiting for this moment for two years. Sure, he’s got a great set up for working at home, and it was nice to be around the family and the dogs. But he prefers working at his office in a downtown Boston high-rise where he works as a financial advisor. ‘I’m an outdoor cat and I just want I want to see people,’ he says, ‘I can’t wait for it to get crowded.’ Many firms are starting with ‘soft openings,’ but already, offices, streets and garages are filling back up.

‘It makes you so happy,’ says Samrawit Embaye, an attendant at one garage that put out its ‘Full’ sign. ‘If you see people coming, you feel like you are living real life.’

Duolingo threw a “homecoming” ice-cream party at its Pittsburgh headquarters to welcome workers back to the office beginning March 1st, one of many efforts to sweeten the deal for workers coming back to work on site. Ingeborg Spadafore

‘Definitely, it’s been an ordeal,’ moans Pragadish Kalaivanan, a marketing analyst, who’s somewhat less sanguine about the trade-offs…Waking up at the crack of dawn to go back to the office is almost impossible and not fun…He also laments giving up the fresh, healthy meals he was cooking for himself at home, having to get on increasingly crowded subway cars where he worries about catching COVID-19, and he’s mourning the loss of the flexibility he had at home to do his creative best, whenever inspiration strikes…Bosses are allowing flexibility because ‘there’s a danger in being too hardline,’ says Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, a language-learning platform… More than 80% of the staff came back on March 1, he says. But just to be sure, he’s doubling down on office culture hoping to make it even more enticing.

Andy Waugh , a managing director at a large insurance broker in Boston, heads out to catch his train home after a day in the office. He’s encouraging more workers to return, saying it’s important for training, employee advancement, and company culture. Tovia Smith/NPR

For example, ‘homecoming week’ included an ice-cream social and happy hour…Firms around the nation are all too aware that requiring workers to come in every day, may actually end up pushing them out the door…Some workers want less human interaction, while some want boundaries between work and life. Attorney Brian Palmucci, can relate. On his way to a court hearing in Boston, he says he’s more than happy to just keep meeting with people on Zoom, instead of in person. Especially, he says, as long as COVID-19 is still a concern.

‘I have two young kids, and I think the long-term health ramifications of COVID are unknown. And so it’s a risk I’m not willing to take.’

But as case numbers have declined, Sameul Gebru is among those who believe what’s more unhealthy is “being under house arrest,” as he called it, where there are no “boundaries between work and life.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 60 minutes.

Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.

Pre-Reading Activity

Predictions: Analyzing headings and photos

Directions: Examine the titles of the post and of the actual article. Examine any photos, then create a list of words and ideas that you and your group members think might be related to this article.

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

Directions: Try to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

Steve Tordone has got a great set up for working at home.
He prefers working at his office in a downtown Boston high-rise.
With the omicron variant now on the wane, companies are officially calling on employees to return to the office this month.
Some companies are trying to stay flexible enough so as not to lose those who prefer to work from home.
Many workers prefer to be at work and not being cooped up.
Being back in the office is ‘a blessing’ for some who missed their colleagues.
Pragadish Kalaivanan, a marketing analyst, feels that it’s been an ordeal.
He’s somewhat less sanguine about the trade-offs at work.
He also laments giving up the fresh, healthy meals he was cooking for himself at home.
some employees feel that being back in the office can often be a distraction from their other interests.

Grammar Focus: Structure and Usage

Being back in the office is great for some who missed their colleagues.
To McLallen, the upsides far outweigh even her hour-long commute.
Waking up at the crack of dawn too go back to the office is almost impossible.

Wednesdays are mandatory on this firm.
It’s especially critical for young workers to be at the office.
Some companies are making in-person work optional.

III

Some employees worry about riding on crowded subway cars.
Happy hour and a movie night were some of the manyperks Duolingo offered employees.
Bosses is allowing flexibility because there’s a danger in being too hardline.

Reading Comprehension: Identify The Speakers

image- cosmopolitan.com

Directions: Read the following quotes from the speakers in the article. Then identify the speakers.

“I’m an outdoor cat and I just want I want to see people, I can’t wait for it to get crowded.”
“It makes you so happy…If you see people coming, you feel like you are living real life.”
“I love being around people, and not being cooped up in my bedroom.”
“Waking up at the crack of dawn to go back to the office is almost impossible and not fun.”
“Top talent wants some amount of flexibility.”
“How we operate, what our ethos is, how to do their jobs, how to treat clients – they’ve got to learn all that, and they won’t see it from their kitchen.”

III. Post Reading Activities

WH-How Questions

Directions: Have students use the WH-question format to discuss or to write the main points from the article.

Who or What is the article about?

Where does the action/event take place?

When does the action/event take place?

Why did the action/event occur?

How did the action/event occur?

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

If you have a job, have you returned to your office? If yes, what kind of work schedule do you have? Do you have to come in every day or do you work some days in the office and some days from home?
Has your boss added any perks for the employees? If so what are they?
Which do you prefer, working from home or going to the office? Why?
Why does Steve Tordone want to work from his office and not from home?
Explain how some companies are approaching their employees about returning to work.
Maureen McLallen was happy to be back at work. What were some of her reasons?
Why was Pragadish Kalaivanan so unhappy about returning to work?
Why are bosses afraid of requiring employees come to work every day?
To entice their employees back to work what are some of the perks Duolingo is offering?
Why was attorney Brian Palmucci concerned about returning to his job?
List three new ideas that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading, two things that you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you would like to know that the article did not mention. Share your responses with your class.

ANSWER KEY

Category: Business, Culture, Economy, Medical | Tags: Work after Covid-19

Quitting Jobs Has Become Contagious in the U.S.

“A sense of workplace disaffection and restlessness started growing for many Americans in the early stages of the pandemic.” E. Goldberg, The New York Times, Jan. 23, 2022

Image-SHRM

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post with Answer Key

Excerpt: You Quit. I Quit. We All Quit. By Emma Goldberg, The New York Times, Jan. 23,2022

“Something infectious is spreading through the work force. Its symptoms present in a spate of two-week notices. Its transmission is visible in real time. And few bosses seem to know how to inoculate their staff against this quitagion.

image- mashable

It catches quickly. ‘There’s a shock when you see multiple people leaving — it’s like, oh, is there something I’m not seeing?’ said Tiff Cheng, 27, who left her job in digital marketing in July, along with five of her close friends at the 40-person agency. ‘Is it my time to leave as well?’ Quitting rates were high in August, September and October. Then, according to Labor Department data, they climbed even further: More than 4.5 million people left their jobs voluntarily in November, a record high in two decades of tracking.

Debrocke:ClassicStock, via Getty Images

Economists explained the numbers by noting that competition for workers led to better pay and benefits, driving some to seek out new opportunities. Psychologists have an additional explanation: Quitting is contagious…A sense of workplace disaffection and restlessness started growing for many Americans in the early stages of the pandemic…Career coaches, meanwhile, worry that some people are being too easily influenced by the behaviors of their roaming colleagues.

Image- explore-group.com

Kathryn Minshew, chief executive of the Muse, a job search site, warns clients that a single employee’s desire to leave a company shouldn’t have too much bearing on the decisions that friends make…That Pied Piper trail won’t always lead people to better options, and Ms. Minshew advises workers to assess their companies with the hyper-individualized approach they might take to building relationships.”

ESL Voices Lesson Plan for this post

NOTE: Lessons can also be used with native English speakers.

Level: Intermediate – Advanced

Language Skills: Reading, writing, and speaking. Vocabulary and grammar activities are included.

Time: Approximately 60 minutes.

Materials: Student handout (from this lesson) and access to news article.

Pre-Reading Activities

Predictions: Analyzing headings and photos

Word Inference

Directions: Try to infer the meanings of the words in bold taken from the article. You use a dictionary, thesaurus, and Word Chart for assistance.

Something infectious is spreading through the work force.
Its symptoms present in a spate of two-week notices.
In two decades of tracking the highest number of people leaving jobs was 4.5 million.
Psychologists have an additional explanation: Quitting is contagious.
Quitting begets more quitting.
One worker’s decision to leave is especially likely to inspire others to leave.
In a recent poll more than 21,000 LinkedIn members left their jobs after seeing other workers leave.
The office has long been a petri dish for infectious behavior.
Employees also mimic the nutritional patterns of people they sit with in the cafeteria
When the people you know, like and respect are leaving a job, you think maybe the grass is greener somewhere else.

Vocabulary Cluster By Learnnc.org

Grammar Focus: Word -Recognition

Directions: Students choose the correct word to complete the sentences taken from the article. They are to choose from the options presented.

For employers, replacing/replaced just one quitter is/are a straightforward task. But replacing several, or even dozens, is far most/more challenging, and the interim period tends to leave/left existing staff with a heaviest/heavier load, while recruiters field awkward questions about what’s fueling all the departures. With quitting/quit rates soaring, some executives are wondering how to lifts/lift morale.

Reading Comprehension Identify The Speakers

Directions: Read the following quotes from the speakers in the article. Then identify the speakers.

“It catches quickly. There’s a shock when you see multiple people leaving — it’s like, oh, is there something I’m not seeing?”
“Quitting begets more quitting, a challenge that employers can’t always solve with raises or perks. Even a single resignation notice can breed a hot spot.”
Ms. Cruz had grown disgruntled with the hallmarks of work life: “Meetings that could have been an email and lack of control over her schedule.”
“It’s a huge decision. If you Google how to resign from your job, there’s lots of conflicting guidance.Those answers are not in a company handbook. It makes sense people reach out for sounding boards from trusted others.”
She made the leap after seeing two of her teammates resign. She went from making $2,100 a month, spending days on her feet setting up cots for nap time and begging children to wear their masks, to making as much as $8,000 monthly while dictating her own schedule, she said. She realized something now viscerally clear to many child care providers: In her work at the school, the mismatch between strain and pay had been stark.
“When one person announces their resignation, there are usually some questions from their colleagues and workplace friends. Where are you going? Why are you leaving?”

Discussion Questions for Comprehension /Writing

Have you or someone you know left your job within the past two years? Please explain why or why not.
According to the article, how many people left their jobs voluntarily in November?
According to psychologists, why is quitting one’s job contagious?
What is “turnover contagion”?
What information did Will Felps and his team of researchers find out?
What were the results from a recent LinkedIn poll involving more than 21,000 members?
The workplace has been the place for what other types of infectious behavior?
In your opinion, do you think so many people have left their jobs due to the pandemic? What other reasons might motivate this behavior?
List three new ideas that you’ve learned about the topic from the reading, two things that you did not understand in the reading, and one thing you would like to know that the article did not mention. Share your responses with your class.

ANSWER KEY

Category: Business, Culture, Economy | Tags: Americans are leaving their jobs

Lesson plan: Labor Day and Unions: From PBS

Labor Day and Unions Today

“Supporters of the California Grape Boycott demonstrate in Toronto, Ontario, December, 1968. Jessica Govea is in the center, front row, wearing poncho. The Delano grape labor strike was organized by the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and the United Farm Workers against grape growers in California. The strike began on September 8, 1965, and lasted more than five years. Photo of “United Farm Workers Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University”

Lesson Plan Created by Tina Yalen and Michael Magathan

Repurposed by Katie Gould

Subject

Economics, government, civics

Estimated Time

Two 45 minute classes or one 90 minute block

1 You will want to explain the upcoming main activity simulation briefly to your students and pass out the “Applications” sheets (see handout on the top right of the page) to them two days before the simulation takes place. This will allow you and the students time to select what roles they will play in the simulation.

2 Divide the class into the two teams of Labor and Management and announce who will be playing what role for each team. You can divide students using your Learning Management System for online learning purposes. Pass out, email or upload both sides of the “Demands” sheets to students the night before the simulation. For homework, have them select the 6 most important demands for their team and be ready to share their choice with their group through the LMS, Google doc or email.

Warm up Activity

Background on Unions and Labor Day

1 Ask students what they know about unions and write their answers on the whiteboards or through the LMS. Many may know nothing about unions, so you may need to prompt them to think of any union-related historical events they may have learned about.

1 Provide students with this definition: an organized association of workers formed to protect and further their rights and interests; a labor union.

2 Watch the short video clips that give a brief background on unions and the holiday Labor Day:

1 “A Brief History of Unions”

2 “History of Labor Day”

3 Pass out, email or upload the student handout “Unions Play a Surprising Role in Your Everyday Life.” Have students read and watch the video together which provides examples of how the union plays a role in some everyday topics.

4 Read the interview with Doyle Pryor Assistant General Counsel for the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1992-2012, and learn more about the union’s role in professional sports.

Main Activity

“Negotiation”: A Labor/Management Simulation

Objectives:

to expose students to the dynamics of a labor/management dispute involving a given set of issues

to instill real-world awareness that resolution of conflict often depends on the art of compromise and the acceptance of the need for it

to observe the difference between mediation and arbitration

to improve skills in the following area:

Skills:

analysis of information

creative problem-solving

decision-making

logical thinking

communication skills and public speaking

listening skills

teamwork and leadership skills

Basic Flow of Simulation

“Negotiations” scenario (see materials for scenario and demands) will be given to all students at least two days ahead of the start date as well as applications(see materials for applications) to be a Negotiator or Team Leader.

Each class will be divided into two equal-sized “teams,” the labor team and the management team

Each team will have its own Team Leader and several teams of Negotiators.

The teacher will serve as Mediator/Arbitrator.

Each team will be given a list of 12 “demands” that its side will be trying to achieve and each team will be asked to choose its top 6 priorities and work hard to achieve them in any agreed upon contract. (see materials for scenario and demands)

There will be several rounds of negotiations. Between rounds, teams will huddle, revise and prepare for the next round.

If needed, there will be a final round of negotiation- with an “all-star” team of negotiators appointed by the team leader w/ advice of his/her team.

If both teams agree, any unresolved issues will be resolved by an arbitrator (teacher) who will announce the final decisions on the day of class.

The endpoint/goal of “Negotiation” is to achieve a “contract” between labor and management that includes each side’s top priority without each side feeling like it lost. The goal, in short, is a “win-win” finish, not a “win-lose” finish.

Following final negotiations, the debriefing process will occur. First, each student will analyze the process in writing; this will be followed by a class discussion in person or using the class’s LMS.

Proposed Time Sequence

Day One:

Brief Introductory Remarks (Teacher)

15 minutes: Opening team meetings Goals: Achieve a consensus on 6 priority demands, discuss possible responses to opposition demands, Team Leader- prepare an opening statement, Negotiators- prepare for round one

5 minutes: Both Team leaders make opening presentations (2 minutes each)

10 minutes: Round 1 negotiations, 5 minutes each side to focus on its two highest priorities; Mediator summarizes (Teacher)

10 minutes: Team Meeting to plan for Round 2

Day Two:

Brief Introductory Remarks (Teacher)

10 minutes: Round 2- same rules as Round 1; second set of Negotiators; reverse sequence of teams

5 minutes: Team Meeting to plan for Round 3

10 minutes: Round 3- same rules as Round 1 & 2; third set of Negotiators; reverse sequence of teams

5 minutes: Team Meeting to plan Final Round; All-Star Negotiators selected by Team Leaders with the help/advice from teams

10 minutes: Final Round- same rules as rounds 1, 2, 3; All-Star Negotiators; reverse sequence of teams

Closure: Offer of arbitration; debrief sheet

Category: Economy, Education | Tags: Government, Labor Day plan