Mediation Matters AIR FORCE TO LEAD THE WAY WITH NEGOTIATION TRAINING. SAF/GCR Newsle er SAF/GCR

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1 U.S. Air Force Mediation Matters SAF/GCR Newsle er NOVEMBER 2015 AIR FORCE TO LEAD THE WAY WITH NEGOTIATION TRAINING Mr. Joseph M. McDade, Jr. Principal Deputy GC Dispute Resolu on Specialist SAF/GCR Mr. Rodney A. Grandon Deputy General Counsel Contractor Responsibility and Conflict Resolu on Mr. Norman Jacobson Director Alterna ve Dispute Resolu on (DSN 664) Ms. Leigh A. Bertagnolli ADR Office Manager (DSN 329) Visit us at: Contact us at: Inside this Edi on Page 2..Mediator Cer fica on Page 2...Media on Training Page 3...ADR Data Repor ng Page 4...SAF/GCR Ombud Page 4...Ramstein Training Page 5...Farewell to Billy Fults Have you heard the news? Have you seen the Secretary of the Air Force s (SecAF s) memo of 28 September or read her speech during last month s Women in Nego a on Summit in New York City? At that event, SecAF made this announcement: in collabora on with Air University and the Air Force General Counsel's Office, the Air Force is now commi ng resources to solidify the Air Force Nego a on Center as the focal point for the Air Force's nego a on, research, teaching, and outreach efforts. For those of you unfamiliar with the Center, it is located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. The Center has been involved with teaching nego a on skills for the last decade and has recently expanded into providing media on training in support of the Air Force ADR Program. With her announcement, SecAF listed three key reasons for this ini a ve: 1) to ini ate the research and development needed to build an enterprise-wide nego a ons capability, to include tools that leverage the Airmen's individual skills as they engage in complex nego a ons; 2) to increase the Nego a on Center's ability to reach and teach all of our Airmen across the Air Force, using a standardized model developed for the military leader; and 3) to expand the Center s outreach, web, and at-base tools to ensure that all Airmen have access to these materials online. So, this can be done in-residence or it can be done online. It is SecAF s intent to provide nego a on educa on and training to about 35,000 Airmen in the Air Force each year over the next five years, ul mately reaching about 200,000 members of our Air Force. One reason SecAF is excited and op mis c about our Air Force s future is because she believes that ensuring our Airmen have the right nego a on skills going forward will help them be be er problem solvers, leading to be er outcomes for the Air Force. If you agree with me that solid nego a on skills are the bedrock of a successful mediator, then check out what the Air Force Nego a on Center (h p://culture.af.mil/nce/) has to offer. At that website, you will find materials and courses of instruc on that will introduce you to the Center s nego a on model and start you on your way to becoming an Air Force nego ator. Joseph M. McDade, Jr. Principal Deputy General Counsel Excerpt from SecAF Memo on the Air Force Nego a on Center Ini a ve I firmly believe this effort will prepare all Airmen to be be er problem-solvers in an even more diverse global opera ng environment. 1 Deborah Lee James

2 MEDIATORS & CERTIFICATION Quality mediators are an integral and vital component for the success and reputa on of the ADR program for workplace disputes. ADR Managers are responsible for finding and nurturing high quality mediators to serve on a collateral-duty basis and mediators must be appointed to this posi on by the Installa on Commander or designee in accordance with AFI , Conflict Management and Alterna ve Dispute Resolu on in Workplace Disputes. Although, mediators do not have to be cer fied to mediate a workplace dispute, the Air Force offers a voluntary cer fica on program managed by SAF/GCR. This program offers cer fica on at four different levels: Level I (Basic); Level II (Intermediate); Level III (Advanced) and Level IV (Master). Each successive level builds, in part, on the levels before it. Criteria for cer fica on at each level can be found in the Air Force Mediator Cer fica on Program Guidelines available on the Air Force Portal at: h ps:// Cer fica on packages must be submi ed to SAF/GCR workflow (usaf.pentagon-saf-gc.mbx.saf-gcr-workflow@mail.mil) through the servicing ADR Program Manager for Levels I and II. Levels III and IV must be submi ed by the MAJCOM ADR Program Manager. Packages that do not contain the appropriate documenta on and le er of recommenda on as outlined in the Mediator Cer fica- on Program Guidelines will be returned. The Director, Alterna ve Dispute Resolu on (SAF/GCR), is the cer fying authority for cer fica on Levels I through III. Level IVs will be reviewed and approved by the Air Force Dispute Resolu on Specialist (Principal Deputy General Counsel) upon the recommenda on of SAF/GCR. ADR TRIVIA Be the first to answer and receive a copy of Ge ng to Yes Nego a ng Agreement Without Giving In Ques on: What are the six Air Force Standards of Conduct for mediators? Please submit answers to: usaf.pentagon.saf-gc.mbx.saf-gcr-workflow@mail.mil TRAINING WEBINARS Don t miss out! The Air Force Nego a on Center (AFNC) at Maxwell AFB, AL, provides training webinars through DCS on a regular basis. This is a great way to stay updated on the ADR program and work in those mandatory mediator refresher training requirements. Calendar invites are sent one week prior to presenta on. If you are not receiving an invite and would like to, please let us know. The last webinar for this year will be conducted by Mr. Norm Jacobson in Dec (date TBD) to give you an update on SAF/GCR and the ADR program. The 2016 schedule will be released soon. POC: Mr. Paul Firman, AF Nego a on Center, Maxwell AFB, AL (paul.firman.1@us.af.mil). AFPD 51-12, AFI , Media on Compendium and Mediator Cer fica on Guidelines are currently under revision. Ques ons may be directed to SAF/GCR BASIC MEDIATION COURSES SAF/GCR is happy to announce two upcoming Basic Media on courses to be held January and March (the first since February 2013). Funding is available for 15 students per class; however addi onal students may a end on unit funds. January class has been filled. Those installa ons that need new mediators should start recrui ng nominees now for the March class. Courses will be held at the Eaker Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. MARKETING ADR SAF/GCR has developed a Quick Series (QS) pocket ADR guide we will distribute in early 2016! Each installa on will ini ally receive a limited amount to market their program. Addi onal guides can be purchased through the QS GSA contract with unit funds. 2 2

3 THE DATA IS IN...OR IS IT? With the end of FY 2015, my office and staff dive into our data repor ng system Entellitrak to capture the ADR data and metrics the system provides for our annual ADR report to the Secretary of the Air Force. While I was on my fouryear sabba cal in a leadership development program, I was hopeful the new data repor ng system my office had launched to the field in 2009 would catch fire and become the go to repor ng system u lized by our ADR program managers. A er all, for those who work hard at resolving disputes at their installa ons, the last thing they need to do is to have to carry their ADR data all year long and then report it to my office through a sta c data repor ng system. That s what I remember doing when I ran ADR at Lackland AFB between 2005 and That data system, by the way, that didn t provide any program metrics at any level. When I arrived at GCD in June of 2008, I was excited to learn that efforts were underway with Micropact to build a real- me data repor ng system. My staff and I worked hard to make the system as useful and user-friendly as we could. Specifically, I wanted a program that would provide program metrics at all levels of command and at the punch of a few computer keys. These metrics could then be used by program managers to highlight the great work they were doing and to build business cases for scarce command resources. That s the system we put in place through Entellitrak. And, oh by the way, our Personnel world has recently moved to an Entellitrak-type data repor ng system for disciplinary ac ons and our EO community is moving to icomplaints, another Entellitrak-type data repor ng system in the near future. Looking at the data reported for the past fiscal year, I m disappointed. This office created the system to allow users to capture disputes of all types (e.g., EO, grievances, MSPB, ULP, peer-to-peer, etc.). We even included a catch-all other category for any other type of dispute. A er running through the reports, out of 93 installa ons in the system, here is a look at the 26 installa ons (28%) that (1) reported data and (2) reported categories of disputes other than EO. If you do not see your installa on listed here, you either didn t report any dispute data or you only reported EO data for FY Altus* Hill Maxwell Charleston Keesler Randolph Columbus Kirtland Robins Davis Monthan* Lackland Sco * Edwards Laughlin Sheppard Eglin Li le Rock Tinker Elmendorf* Los Angeles* Vance* Goodfellow Luke Wright-Pa erson Hanscom* MacDill* * These bases reported less than 10 disputes for FY2015 My thanks to the program managers of the installa ons listed above. Special thanks go to the ADR strategic advisors at AETC and AFMC. AETC had 11 of 12 installa ons and AFMC had eight of nine installa ons make the list. My request in FY16 is that we redouble our efforts to make use of this data repor ng system. With experience, a dispute can be entered into this system start to finish in less than five minutes. If anyone new to their program manager du es needs training or any veteran program managers would like refresher training in Entellitrak, please let me know. At their request, I provided training via DCS for AETC in August and would be glad to set up similar training sessions in the future. As addi onal incen ve, I would point out to many of you who are dual-ha ed as EO program directors; the experience of working with this system will serve you well as the EO community transi ons to icomplaints. Norman Jacobson Director, Alternate Dispute Resolu on 3 3

4 OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM AVAILABLE FOR VICTIMS OF MILITARY REPRISAL Did you know that military members who blow the whistle and subsequently become vic ms of reprisal have an advocate to help the vic ms obtain reasonable and appropriate remedia on? At the direc on of the Secretary of the Air Force and with the help of SAF/MR, SAF/IG, and HAF/JA, the Air Force has established, with the Air Force General Counsel's Office (SAF/GCR), an ombudsman program to assist military member whistleblowers who are vic ms of reprisal. According to the Secretary, the Ombud is the designated individual that reprisal vic ms can turn to for assistance if they feel reasonable and appropriate remedia on ac ons are not being taken on their behalf and prior to their filing for relief with the Board for the Correc on of Military Records. Please direct any military members, who have had their reprisal allega ons substan ated by the IG, to contact the SAF/GCR office for assistance. JUMPSTARTING THE ADR PROGRAM AT RAMSTEIN AB, GERMANY by Bryan Osborne, ADR/EO Manager In February 2015, I le my job at the Air Force Academy and reported to Ramstein AB to manage the 86th Airli Wing (86 AW) ADR and EO programs. Upon arrival, I realized I was inheri ng a program that was strained in the areas of manpower and compliance. The ADR program was dormant. As a re red CMSgt, I had to take not only a strategic look but a very hard tac cal look at the ADR and EO programs. When funding became available in early August, I reached out to Norm Jacobson at SAF/ GCR and to Todd Hedgepeth, a Labor Law Field Support Center a orney I knew from my me at Laughlin AFB, TX, for guidance and a vector. To my amazement, they stepped up to the plate and, in less than a week, we had a plan to bring the A Team to Ramstein for ADR training. IRD heard about the ini a ve and sent Tom Cruz, one of their most experienced mediators, to give cri cal insights. The Air Force Nego a on Center at Maxwell AFB sent Paul Firman to spearhead the curriculum. Together, the team revamped lessons and created new ones to give our students a great learning experience. The team spent countless hours pu ng together basic and refresher media on training programs that can be taken off the shelf and presented around the world. The energy, dedica on and professionalism of the instructors were evident during every minute of both programs. The courses and what the team accomplished exceeded my wildest expecta ons. Not only did Ramstein AB benefit, but we had mediators come from a local Army installa on, DoDEA, and Spangdahlem AB. Addi onally, senior leadership at Bagram AB recognized the need for ADR exper se at Bagram and, within just days of the training start date, sent a logis cian for basic training who agreed to extend for a second year to handle ADR issues. In all, 10 people got annual ADR refresher training and 21 new mediators were trained and presented cer ficates. Addi onally, the team conducted an office call with 86 AW/JA lawyers and paralegals to exchange informa on and open a bridge for ADR here the team converted skep cs into advocates. There were many highlights of this 10-day event for me, but the one I ll long remember occurred the last day the team was here. I scheduled a lunch and learn for members of the 86 MSG leadership team. Twenty-four commanders, first sergeants and senior enlisted leaders gathered in our dining hall for 90-minute discussion on ADR. This was cri cal for me because the majority of complaints I come from this command. It was great to see people in the room get it that ADR can and will work if we come in with the right approach. Finally, for those of you fortunate to have training money, let me share a li le secret as to how you can expand the pie. In August, I received $14K for ADR training that we listed on our unfunded list. Instead of spending the allocated funds sending my staff stateside for training, I chose to use the money to bring four people to Germany to conduct training. For that money, I got 31 folks either basic or refresher ADR training. The cost of sending 31 folks stateside for that training would have cost around $125K. That s the value DoD and, perhaps more importantly, the American taxpayer ul mately received out of our $14K unfunded training request! 4 4

5 Farewell Billy Fults, AETC ADR Program Manager Billy Fults has served as the Chief of the Equal Opportunity and Alterna ve Dispute Resolu on Branch for HQ, AETC since 2007 and will re re from Civil Service in December As the AETC ADR Program Manager, he has provided outstanding leadership, educa on and guidance to his wings in ADR. We salute you, Billy, for a job well done! Thank you for your service to our Air Force and our country. Best to you and your family as you begin the next chapter of your life! You will be truly missed in the ADR community. "Thank you for your support, guidance and mentorship throughout the years. Your unique sense of humor and expressions will be greatly missed. You were always a bright spot in our EO family. Good luck and enjoy your well-deserved re rement!! JBSA Lackland EO Team Billy, I will miss our 30 minute phone calls (with you talking 29 minutes) where I could close my eyes and truly believe Billy Bob Thornton was on the other line. Your East Texas accent, professionalism, and humor will be missed! I will always have fond memories of our TDY together to Hurlburt in August of Good mes! And... GO AGGIES! Love you, man. Brother, Friend, Con idant Sincerely, Todd "the God" Hedgepeth Thank you so much for your help, guidance and mentorship over the years. I wouldn't have survived without you. Enjoy your well-deserved re rement! Rob "SA" Ochs Vance AFB, OK (AETC) Time has come to say "good bye" - it's much more, "hope to meet again". Enjoyed doing business with you apprecia ng all your support and experience on EO and ADR, and in par cular our common TDYs. During the recent years, you became a true friend, "Mr. Folz" (as the Germans would pronounce your name)! Wishing you all the best for your re rement, enjoy whatever your future plans are, family, and friends; in par cular stay in good health! Sincerely, O mar Frenger Ramstein AB, Germany (USAFE) Billy, your name translates to BROTHER, FRIEND, CONFIDANT and many more. From the first day, (well maybe the second or third), you have embraced me as your Brother and you will never know how much that meant to me. I have come to lean on (take advantage) of your exper se in the field because you always had me for me and some of my quirky inquiries (and you did not call me an idiot, (at least to my face)). Most important, the mes we spent on the phone just talking about family to include wives and children and grandchildren and some of the situa ons we have encountered. I will truly miss all the (rela ves) you gave me when something did not go right. You have that uncanny ability of adding to my family tree by calling people who go off the rails (my brother, my illegi mate son/ daughter, my cousin, or my sister etc ). Friends are hard to come by. True Friends even harder! You are indeed a TRUE FRIEND and we have to stay in touch because you are my Brother from another Mother!! Elliot Moore Hurlburt Field, FL (AFSOC) 5 5