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Collective Bargaining
Practical Law Glossary Item 4-382-3347 (Approx. 3 pages)
Glossary
Collective Bargaining
Negotiations between an employer and a group of employees (usually represented by a union) regarding the terms and conditions of employment, such as:
- Wages.
- Hours of work.
- Employee benefits.
- Working conditions.
- Grievance procedures.
- Rights and responsibilities of unions.
These negotiations result in a signed contract or collective bargaining agreement.
The main bodies of law governing collective bargaining in the private sector are:
- The National Labor Relations Act, which, among other things, grants private sector employees working in all industries, other than air and rail transport, the rights to bargain collectively and join unions (see Practice Note: Labor Law: Overview).
- The Railway Labor Act, which provides similar rights to private sector employees in the air and rail transport industries (see Practice Note, Railway Labor Act: Overview).
Collective bargaining is also governed by:
- Judicial decisions.
- Administrative agency regulations.
- State statutes.
In areas where federal and state law overlap, federal law pre-empts state law.