Yes, I was told that.
I’d be fired.
After I had been on the job for a little more than a month.
Not just once either.
Was told a few times.
I was told I’d be FIRED!

What did I do wrong?
Well.
I was hired to do one job.
Negotiate a new labor agreement with our State’s largest public sector union.

The folks who made up the “employer” were by and large new to public service, new to state government and hired by the new governor. He was a self made very successful businessman.

And, yes the state was now going to be run like a business. And one of the first things to be addressed was this new contract. Since none of the new Employer contingent had any experience dealing with labor unions I was hired to come back and lead the efforts against the state’s unions.

Simple enough.

Some additional background. Our state was spending more money on services than was coming in through revenues. We were going broke, if indeed a tax raising entity can really go broke.
That was the line used though.
“The state was broke!”
And also the mantra every new administration uses “We won the election so the voters agree with everything we do! We have a mandate!”

And what better way to demonstrate this new reality, I was soon to discover, was through our labor negotiations!

No salary increases! No annual pay increases! Cut health insurance benefits!
Nothing for the employees because we couldn’t afford to give anything anyway.
“The state was really broke!”

In fact, I was even told by my guy that the negotiations would be very simple since all I had to say was this:
“Here is our 1st proposal. It makes sense doesn’t it?
You agree, good! Let’s turn the page to our 2nd proposal..”

And because our proposals were common sense proposals based on the one fact everyone already knew, the state was going broke, I was also told our negotiations shouldn’t last more than a day or two.

And that’s why I was told I would be fired.
The negotiations I had started in early February were dragging on. It was now early March. We had been exchanging proposals. It took a whole week to agree to ground rules.

I had explained that negotiations were a give and take, it often takes time to sort out what the other side considers important.

And so, I was told I’d be fired. Again.
Either I got the contract settled real soon or we had better reach impasse.

Now to be perfectly honest, after the 2nd or 3rd time I was told I’d be fired, I did respond back with a question.
Why was I hired if I was soon to be fired. I would have just stayed retired.

“Oh no JT, I tell all my staff they’re going to be fired. It’s my motivational tool.”

Motivational?
Yeah right.

I can be motivated by many things, threats to take away my livelihood won’t do it.
If I’m here to negotiate, I’ll negotiate.
If not, there are other things in my life less stressful I’d be happy to do.
And that’s what I told him.

And, just like that, that motivational tool was never mentioned again.

Now let me repeat once more that none of the members of the Governor’s staff who oversaw the labor negotiations had prior labor relations experience. But all were excited to try their hand at this union thing!

It’s also fair to say they may have over expected results without really understanding the give and take of actual labor negotiations. Negotiations can’t happen if only one side gets what they want and the other leaves empty handed.

But they were in charge.

In the end, I didn’t get fired after all.
As it turned out, I ended up outlasting each of the members of my “employer” group.

Lesson learned.
If you need to fire someone, tell them and then do it.
It’s not a very good tool to motivate.
At least not for me.

JT