Bargaining Terms & Definitions
*Collective Bargaining- The process in which employees discuss, propose, and receive proposed changes from the Company. Contract Negotiations is also used.
*Bargaining Unit- A group of employees covered by a Union contract in a select area/place.
*Good Faith Bargaining- Is when both sides come to the bargaining table to work together in reaching an agreement. This requires time, listening and looking for solutions to concerns on both sides.
*Bad Faith Bargaining- Occurs when the Union or the Company does not make a fair attempt at reaching a conclusion, providing information, or performs surface bargaining.
*Surface Bargaining- When a party tries to make it look like they are trying to reach a deal, but as time goes by it is discovered that a party had no intent of reaching a deal, so they just scratched the surface.
*Contract Extension- This occurs only when the parties do not have an accepted deal agreed to and the current contract expiration date expires. The parties, by mutual agreement, can sign an extension. The extension will spell out the new expiration or terms either party must follow to cancel the extension.
*Working without a contract- If the contract is not extended, the workers have several options available that they did not have with the contract in force, such as: work stoppage, slowdown, picketing before work or after work, and other actions that would interrupt or limit the performance of service, customer utilization or use of the facilities. Working without a contract is not the same as going on strike, because employees work and lobby customers on their off time. Many times, this is to show the Company the workers are serious about getting the changes and improvements they need and demand or getting the Company to rethink what they want to take away from the workers. For a time, the Company must continue all the same benefits in place as when the contract or extension was active.
*Lockout- After the contract has expired or not been extended, a lockout could occur. The Company can choose to lock its workers out until they cave and agree with the Company’s contract changes. The catch here is they must lock out EVERY UNION MEMBER, with no exceptions! They do not get to choose who they can lock out and who they will allow to work. Everyone ultimately ends up on the sidewalk protesting. Lockouts do not happen very often for this reason. The Company would be stuck running the store on about five non-union managers, and we all know that would not work very well. Company could bring in replacements, but the questions is, will the customers drive past the people they know to support Corporate Greed? We do not think so.
*Last, Best and Final Offer- This is always a proposal from the Company, and it says basically this is our last, best, and final offer. The LBFO is often submitted to Union members for their vote to reject it or accept it unless the outcome could be dangerous to the retail industry. The UFCW International Union does not want anyone accepting something that would hurt other members around the country, so they will slow down the vote.
*Ratification Vote- This is a vote by Union members to vote in support of or in opposition to the Company offer; It would take a majority voting to ratify/accept the new contract.
*Strike Vote- A vote by the Union members rejecting the Company’s offer and authorizing the Union members to strike. This requires a 2/3 vote of the Union workers who are affected by the contract.
*Bargaining Unit- A group of employees covered by a Union contract in a select area/place.
*Good Faith Bargaining- Is when both sides come to the bargaining table to work together in reaching an agreement. This requires time, listening and looking for solutions to concerns on both sides.
*Bad Faith Bargaining- Occurs when the Union or the Company does not make a fair attempt at reaching a conclusion, providing information, or performs surface bargaining.
*Surface Bargaining- When a party tries to make it look like they are trying to reach a deal, but as time goes by it is discovered that a party had no intent of reaching a deal, so they just scratched the surface.
*Contract Extension- This occurs only when the parties do not have an accepted deal agreed to and the current contract expiration date expires. The parties, by mutual agreement, can sign an extension. The extension will spell out the new expiration or terms either party must follow to cancel the extension.
*Working without a contract- If the contract is not extended, the workers have several options available that they did not have with the contract in force, such as: work stoppage, slowdown, picketing before work or after work, and other actions that would interrupt or limit the performance of service, customer utilization or use of the facilities. Working without a contract is not the same as going on strike, because employees work and lobby customers on their off time. Many times, this is to show the Company the workers are serious about getting the changes and improvements they need and demand or getting the Company to rethink what they want to take away from the workers. For a time, the Company must continue all the same benefits in place as when the contract or extension was active.
*Lockout- After the contract has expired or not been extended, a lockout could occur. The Company can choose to lock its workers out until they cave and agree with the Company’s contract changes. The catch here is they must lock out EVERY UNION MEMBER, with no exceptions! They do not get to choose who they can lock out and who they will allow to work. Everyone ultimately ends up on the sidewalk protesting. Lockouts do not happen very often for this reason. The Company would be stuck running the store on about five non-union managers, and we all know that would not work very well. Company could bring in replacements, but the questions is, will the customers drive past the people they know to support Corporate Greed? We do not think so.
*Last, Best and Final Offer- This is always a proposal from the Company, and it says basically this is our last, best, and final offer. The LBFO is often submitted to Union members for their vote to reject it or accept it unless the outcome could be dangerous to the retail industry. The UFCW International Union does not want anyone accepting something that would hurt other members around the country, so they will slow down the vote.
*Ratification Vote- This is a vote by Union members to vote in support of or in opposition to the Company offer; It would take a majority voting to ratify/accept the new contract.
*Strike Vote- A vote by the Union members rejecting the Company’s offer and authorizing the Union members to strike. This requires a 2/3 vote of the Union workers who are affected by the contract.