Collective Bargaining and Negotiations Training

Description

Join us May 6 for a special pre-conference collective bargaining training ahead of our Spring General Membership Meeting (May 7–8). Attorneys Jim Cline and Anil Karia will walk through the real-world strategies every bargaining team needs from mandatory subjects and good faith requirements to contract enforcement, interest arbitration, and developing strong economic proposals. The day includes practical tactics and a mock negotiation exercise, all grounded in years of experience negotiating Washington law enforcement contracts. Come ready to sharpen your strategy.

• The Right to Negotiate – The Scope of Mandatory Bargaining
• Good Faith Bargaining – What PERC Requires
• Bargaining Tactics and Techniques – Practical Tips
• Contract Enforcement – Common Grievances and Interpretation Issues
• Interest Arbitration – How it Works and How to Prepare
• Developing Economic Issues – Current Conditions and How they Impact your Negotiations
• Mock Negotiations – Real Life Exercise

Jim and Anil will lead an interactive day, sharing hard-earned insights from years of negotiating Washington law enforcement contracts.

Event Details

When: May 6, 2026

Time: 9:00-4:00pm, lunch included

Where: Semiahmoo Resort Golf & Spa

9565 Semiahmoo Pkwy, Blaine, WA 98230 | (360) 318-2000 

Cost: Free for WACOPS members

Who: We encourage each member organization to send representatives from your guild's leadership or negotiations team.

About the Presenters

Jim Cline graduated from Notre Dame Law School in 1986 and served as a King County Deputy Prosecutor before joining Will Aitchison’s firm in 1990. Since 1994, he has led Cline and Associates. He has been involved in the negotiation of over 400 labor contracts. He has extensive experience in virtually every facet of law enforcement guild representation, to include 26 interest arbitrations.

Jim is a frequent speaker and the author of numerous articles and two books: The Rights of Washington Public Safety Employees: Member’s Manual and The Rights of Washington Public Safety Employees: Representative’s Manual.

Anil Karia is a founding member of Public Safety Labor Group and has been slaying the law since 2006. Since 2009, he’s focused on representing law enforcement associations and guilds across Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, handling day-to-day legal matters, bargaining, arbitrations, ULPs, civil litigation, legislation, and critical incidents. He doesn’t talk about what happened between 2006 and 2009.

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