Case Studies
Real outcomes from compensation studies, collective bargaining, AI cost modeling, and labor relations engagements across public and private sector clients.
What Our Clients Achieve
Every CollBar engagement is different because every client's situation is different. A school district facing an interest arbitration proceeding needs a different kind of support than a transit agency conducting its first formal compensation study.
What our work has in common is data-driven analysis, expert strategy, and measurable outcomes. We are selective about what we share publicly to protect client confidentiality. The case summaries below represent the types of work we do and the outcomes our clients achieve.
Mid-Size City Saves $2.1M Over Three Years
A Midwest city of 95,000 residents came to CollBar with an AFSCME contract expiring in 60 days and no cost model for the union's wage proposals. CollBar produced a full total-cost-of-employment model within 48 hours, ran 12 proposal scenarios, and supported management's chief negotiator through 8 bargaining sessions to a ratified agreement — $2.1M below the union's original ask over a 3-year term.
K-12 District Corrects 11-Year Pay Compression
A suburban school district discovered mid-contract that its salary schedule had created significant pay compression between new and veteran certificated staff — with some 12-year teachers earning less than teachers hired the prior year. CollBar conducted a full comparable agency compensation study across 14 peer districts, identified the compression source, and recommended a restructured step-and-lane schedule implemented over two contract cycles without triggering bargaining obligations.
Fire District Prevails in Interest Arbitration
A regional fire authority faced its first interest arbitration proceeding with the IAFF local — disputing wages, health insurance contributions, and staffing minimums. CollBar developed the comparable agency evidence package, built the cost model for each disputed issue, and supported the district's legal counsel through the full evidentiary hearing. The arbitrator's award aligned with the district's positions on all three contested issues.
Health System Models 14 Union Contract Scenarios
A regional health system with 18,000 employees and three active CBAs needed to model the cost impact of multiple proposals simultaneously across 1199SEIU, AFSCME, and UFCW agreements during a single bargaining cycle. CollBar's AI cost modeling engine processed all three contracts in parallel, producing a unified scenario workbook that allowed the CFO to evaluate total labor cost exposure for any combination of proposals — in real time.
Transit Agency Resolves 3-Year Grievance Backlog
A public transit agency had accumulated 47 open grievances over a 3-year period — most related to scheduling, overtime assignment, and seniority rights under its ATU agreement. CollBar conducted a systematic grievance audit, categorized each case by type and strength, and negotiated a package resolution with the union that cleared 41 grievances through a structured settlement, returned $380,000 in disputed back-pay claims, and established a revised scheduling protocol to prevent recurrence.
County Conducts 127-Position Compensation Study
A county with a diverse workforce spanning public safety, public works, administration, and social services had not conducted a formal compensation study in 11 years. CollBar studied 127 positions across 9 bargaining units and 3 management pay plans, collected comparable data from 13 peer counties, and produced a unified compensation report with implementation recommendations that were adopted in the next budget cycle and used as the foundation for all subsequent bargaining.
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