The Universal Cynic

Gnaw, gnaw, gnaw ... listen to the sound of my GI tract ...

Can anyone provide an example where the first negotiation offers from either union or management were accepted without question? Go ahead, I'll wait.

Okay, you can stop now. Here's your answer: It doesn't happen. Ever. Even when there's optimism, it's often tempered, masked or even hidden completely, because neither side wants to give the impression that they're caving in in the slightest. This is the reality of union negotiations. The negativity of observers, in the vacuum of venues like social media, only serves as pointless, dramatic chatter. It has no bearing on the proceedings, and furthermore, is rarely based in knowledge or objectivity.

Go ahead and chew on that.