Standing Orders: Bartlet Breaks the Union Standoff
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Teamsters representative Russo passionately declares their refusal to accept policies that would weaken the union, signaling a hardened stance.
Little flatly disagrees with Russo, heightening the tension in the negotiation.
Russo sarcastically acknowledges Little's disagreement, reinforcing the deadlock.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calmly dominant — mildly amused but resolute; exerts control to shift tone and demand disciplined attention.
President Jed Bartlet forcefully enters, slamming the Roosevelt Room doors to halt the crescendo, then neutralizes heat with casual questions ('Hungry? Tired?') before exercising authority: he orders five minutes apiece and insists they remain standing, converting the stalemate into a time-boxed, presidentially mediated exchange.
- • Break the negotiation impasse and restore forward momentum.
- • Reassert presidential authority to frame and contain the dispute.
- • Force a disciplined, time-limited exchange that pressures both sides toward settlement.
- • His physical presence and authority can reset an unproductive dynamic.
- • Structured, time-limited speaking will produce clarity and compel decisions.
- • Allowing the impasse to fester will produce political and practical costs for the administration.
Resolute and fatigued — outwardly combative and defensive with an undercurrent of exhaustion (he answers 'Yes' to being tired).
Bobby Russo delivers a firm denunciation of the proposed policies, explicitly framing them as weakening the union's hold on younger members; he stands his ground physically and rhetorically, answers Bartlet's questions, and refuses to yield momentum at the table.
- • Prevent adoption of any policy that would weaken the Teamsters' bargaining power.
- • Preserve loyalty and representation for younger union members.
- • Maintain leverage in negotiations rather than concede under pressure.
- • Accepting the policies will erode the union's future strength.
- • Holding firm is necessary to protect members and organizational cohesion.
- • Public or executive pressure must be resisted to avoid long-term harm.
Controlled and obstinate — measured surface calm masking determination to defend management's proposal.
Seymour Little responds tersely to Russo's charge with 'I disagree,' embodying a short, stubborn management stance; he remains the pragmatic counterpoint, refusing rhetorical escalation and signaling that management will not yield on its position.
- • Defend management's proposed policies and cost/efficiency rationale.
- • Prevent labor from framing the debate solely as betrayal of younger workers.
- • Keep negotiation focused on practical economic trade-offs rather than moral rhetoric.
- • The policy choices are justified on pragmatic/economic grounds.
- • Concessions to rhetorical pressure will produce suboptimal outcomes for the industry.
- • Negotiations should be resolved through sober trade-offs, not emotional appeals.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The heavy Roosevelt Room door is physically used as a punctuation point: Bartlet slams it on entry to silence the room and enforce attention. The slam is performative — it interrupts argument rhythm, produces an audible assertion of power, and triggers everyone to rise and submit to the President's directives.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Roosevelt Room operates as the centralized battleground where labor and management face off under the weight of presidential oversight. In this event it contains the stalemate, absorbs Bartlet's theatrical intervention, and becomes the stage where institutional authority is physically and rhetorically reasserted.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"RUSSO: "To accept these policies means that the Teamsters Union will be significantly weakened in its ability to represent or retain the loyalty of younger workers and we're not going to let that happen!""
"LITTLE: "I disagree.""
"BARTLET: "Talk to me for five minutes apiece and then we're going to settle this.""