{"id":1710,"date":"2019-12-10T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T06:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=1710"},"modified":"2019-12-09T20:18:04","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T20:18:04","slug":"collective-bargaining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/collective-bargaining","title":{"rendered":"Roadmap for Unionizing: Collective Bargaining and Securing a First Contract"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ken Green
\nCEO\/Founder
\nUnionTrack, Inc.<\/a><\/p>\n

Workers have more power as a collective than they do as individuals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That was the premise behind the passing of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)<\/a> in 1935, a law that guarantees workers the right to form unions and to engage in activities to improve working conditions. The most essential of those activities is the right to collectively bargain with employers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why workers join unions. An individual worker doesn\u2019t wield strong enough bargaining power to negotiate \u201cfavorable employment terms,\u201d says the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU<\/a>). By joining a union and designating a representative to do the negotiating on behalf of a collective, workers \u201clevel the playing field between labor and management\u201d and give themselves a meaningful seat at the bargaining table, the ACLU writes.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the key purpose of unions: to give workers the power to negotiate with employers through collective bargaining, explains the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), AFL-CIO<\/a>. \u201cCollective bargaining is the heart and soul of the labor union,\u201d they write.<\/p>\n

And negotiating a first collective bargaining agreement is the final of five steps that workers must take on their journey to unionizing their workplace. Those steps are:\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Building support<\/a> for unionization.<\/li>\n
  2. Hosting a union drive<\/a> confirming majority support for unionization.<\/li>\n
  3. Holding an election<\/a> for unionization.<\/li>\n
  4. Obtaining certification<\/a> from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), if needed.<\/li>\n
  5. Entering into contract negotiations with the employer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Once the NLRB certifies the union election, it is time for both sides to begin negotiating the first collective bargaining agreement. Chris Langford<\/a>, strategist and organizer at the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), outlines some of the important issues to be negotiated:<\/p>\n