Our Philosophy
For more than 85 years IEDA has successfully represented management in labor relations by crafting agreements that consider the long-term interests of the parties as well as the immediate needs of the employer. The collective bargaining process is an opportunity for management and labor to improve their ongoing relationship so that problems that occur in the future can be resolved effectively. Building such a mature labor-management relationship takes time and commitment. IEDA believes in continuity in relationships with both employers and their unions.
IEDA considers this "continuity of service delivery" as one of the most important components of our representation program. Another key element is the belief that negotiations that are conducted with the goal of improving the ongoing relationship between labor and management usually lead to more elegant and enduring solutions. Because of the depth of their experience and the breadth of their regular contact with a diverse group of employment situations, IEDA negotiators can perform dual roles, as an advocate for the employer's interests and as an outside expert offering a fresh perspective on issues.
In recent years attention in the labor relations community has focused on collaborative variations from traditional collective bargaining. The interest-based approach has become an important addition to the repertoires of IEDA's negotiators as we look for creative ways to solve problems and reduce labor-management conflict. IEDA will assist employers in analyzing whether a traditional or interest-based approach is more appropriate for that employer's needs.
As part of the commitment to maintaining lasting relationships with represented employers, IEDA's method of charging for services also emphasizes continuity of service delivery in that member employers pay a single monthly fee irrespective of the need for services during the fee cycle. Only special projects are charged on a fee-for-service basis. IEDA can be compared to a health maintenance organization in this respect. For represented employers, this means the comfort of knowing that services will be provided when needed without additional cost.