The annual Higher Ed over-night conference was March 31 to April 1 (Friday/Saturday) at the Princeton Hyatt Regency Hotel. Representing the ACCCEA were Mitch and Gail Michlich, Alice Rainey, Yechiel Lehavy, Michelle Bevan, John Stratton, Phil Cragg, and Will Parsons. There were ten different workshops on topics like “OPRA – Open Pubic Records act”, “Health and Safety –Hazard Awareness”, “Association Obligation to Nonmembers”, and “Grievance and Contract Enforcement”.

Lorraine Tesauro, a mediator from the NJ Public Employment Relations Committee (PERC) was the keynote speaker Friday night. She stated some recent changes in the NJ mediation process. She also explained her role as a mediator. When one or both of the parties asks for a mediator, PERC assigns one. Lorraine first determines what the road-blocks are to settlement. Sometimes the roadblocks are issues and sometimes they are personalities. She then works toward getting a settlement.

Over the years we have gone to PERC for mediations about four times. Each time we were able to reach settlement after one or two sessions with the mediator. The chances of getting a decent settlement are better earlier rather than later in the process.

After that we headed for the desert bar, socialized, and networked. Later some people headed for the Comedy Club. I, however, was the designated “Old Fart” and went to bed.

I attended my first workshop in 1972 when Tom Boghosian was president of the “Faculty Organization”. That was before we joined NJEA/NEA. He signed me up for a workshop in Atlantic City on “Contract Enforcement”. I probably have gone to a thousand workshops. Each time I learn something. The workshops often involve group dynamics that also apply to the family, Scouts, classroom, and church. And it has been free. Will Parsons, Coordinator for the Unity Negotiations Team