b'Understanding theRole of the MediatorVETERAN MEDIATOR, REG PEARSONSHARES HIS TAKE ON THE MEDIATION PROCESSSuccessful negotiation is not about getting to \'yes;\' it\'s about mastering \'no\' and understanding what the path to an agreement is. - Christopher VossC BargainingAgency(ETBA)Deals a Plenty will be negotiating 14 Contract discussions can be a tricky business, so with the next round of talks between ECAO\'sAll told, the two sides ElectricalTradetotalcontracts:onecentraldealforeachof and the IBEW set to kick off in 2022, it\'s amaintenance electricians, wiring/communica-perfect time to examine the art of negotiation. tion workers and line workers and; 11 local Severalthingsmakethesespecifictalksagreements,eachnegotiatedseparatelyand somewhat unique compared to other labourattachedasaddendumstothecentraldeal. negotiations.Firstly,inthewakeofseveralThat\'s a lot of John Hancocks!work stoppages between the late-\'70s and 1990Pearson is not yet in a position to comment on in which the industry lost market share to non- specific issues in this round, but he is curious unionized contractors, the two sides agreed inwhetherthepandemicsparkedanyhealth-1990 to a no-strike/no-lockout mandate. related issues that need to be dealt with in some Secondly,whilehavingacentralprovincialReg Pearson, President of Reg Pearson Mediation Services contractualformthatdiffersfromstandard agreementandseparatelocaldealsisnothealth and safety matters.uncommon, the fact that the Ontario electrical industry negotiates the local contracts first is unique to the province,The Role of the Mediatorsays Reg Pearson, President of Reg Pearson Mediation Services. Pearson is quick to point out that he\'s not a referee; rather, he\'s there He ought to know, having been involved with contract talks as a nego- to provide oversight. He says the process is more about encouraging tiator for over 40 years, serving on both the management and unionboth sides to have open discussions and to build trust among all par-sides and acting as a mediator for the last 26 years of that stretch.ties, including himself. "I need to make sure that there\'s enough trust Now, as an independent mediator, he participates in all types of tradein the room that I can be sitting in either room [during] their caucus negotiations across the province.sessions and they know that whatever is said in there is not going to The presence of a mediator, introduced at the last set of contract talks,be heard by the other side unless they want me to."is another distinctive characteristic of the ETBA-IBEW discussions.Though actual refereeing is rare, Pearson has tools to manage the pro-"What was innovative in the last round with the IBEW was thatcess when tempers flare. He may call for a break to cool off and allow the parties agreed to a protocol which included local mediation,"the sides to rethink things, for instance. That may mean him spending says Pearson. time with each side separately. As Pearson puts it, "Sometimes people Ontario Electrical Contractor15'