Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1699 and Ohio University negotiators are one step closer to a new contract bargaining method.

AFSCME representatives and OU management officials will attend training to learn about Interest Based Bargaining (IBB) in June, said Bill Lewis, commissioner from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

IBB encourages better relations because negotiators discuss their parties' interests issues and negotiate solutions that are acceptable for both sides, he said.

Both sides were ready to set a training date by the end of the first meeting with Lewis on April 12, said Linda Longsinger, OU's chief negotiator and assistant director for human resources, employee and labor relations.

"I think initially we were looking real seriously about doing it," she said.

But OU officials were not the only ones who were impressed with the method. Charlie Adkins, president of the Local 1699, said both the union and OU are eager to learn about IBB.

"I think both sides are very ready to get into the process," he said.

During the two-day training session, AFSCME and OU representatives learn about the IBB process and practice using it, Lewis said.

During the second day of the session, they will negotiate an issue using the IBB process, he said.

Solving a problem during the training will set a positive tone for future negotiations, Adkins said.

Although both parties will evaluate the IBB method after the training and have the chance to change their minds, about 95 percent of groups who go through the training decide to use the method,

Lewis said.

Longsinger also said she thinks both sides will agree to use IBB to bargain their next contract.

"I think it's great," she said. "I wouldn't agree to do it if I didn't think it was," she said.

If both AFSCME and OU decide to use IBB, they will use the method in July to discuss apprenticeship training and to later bargain their next contract, which will go into effect at midnight on March 1, 2000, Longsinger said.