The Bargaining Process

The process of bargaining for a first contract typically involves the following steps:

Preparing for bargaining: Your union's bargaining team and the employer's management team are elected/selected. Your bargaining committee will seek input from and survey the membership. Both teams analyze the current policies to identify areas for improvement, then draft proposals.

Conducting negotiations: Your union and employer bargain in good faith about wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. 

Reaching a tentative agreement and holding a vote: Once your union and the company have tentatively agreed on all bargaining items, your local union will hold a meeting to explain the tentative agreement, answer any questions, and hold a vote where all of your unit members decide to accept (ratify) or reject it. A majority of votes (51%) decides.

If the tentative agreement is ratified: The tentative agreement is then signed by your local leadership and becomes an official and legally enforceable contract between the members and their employer. The contract is printed into booklets for every member to reference as needed.

If the tentative agreement is rejected: The bargaining committee holds a meeting with the membership to ask questions and understand what the members are dissatisfied with. The bargaining committee then goes back to the bargaining table to obtain the improvements the membership is looking for, but there are no guarantees.