At the table
The “official” spokesperson for each bargaining team.
Lead Negotiator
A situation where the employer (a supervisor, department head, appointing authority, etc.) deals directly with an individual employee concerning theterms and conditions of their employment, instead of bargaining with the union.
Direct dealing
A person elected democratically to make sure our coworkers’ voices are represented at the bargaining table.
Bargaining Team member
This is the section of the contract that spells out the rights Management has per the contract.
Management rights
Proposals that deal with money, such as holiday pay, wages, and benefits.
Economic proposals
When either side calls for a break from bargaining to discuss strategy or review proposals.
Caucus
Bargaining in which either party is failing to make a sincere effort to reach an agreement.
Bad faith barganing
The method in which the bargaining committee collects the priorities of the membership in preparation for barganing.
Bargaining surveys
An agreement that has been reached at the bargaining table but which has not been ratified by a vote of the membership.
Tentative Agreements (TA)
Proposals that don’t have to do with money, such as scheduling, seniority, and probation.
Non-economic proposals
The set of rules established at the outset of bargaining which the union and the employer agree to follow throughout negotiations.
Ground rules
The attempt by the employer to exert pressure on union members to accept their terms for an agreement. This tactic usually occurs towards the later stages of the bargaining process.
The overview of the most important things that happened, as well as a head’s up about what we anticipate happening next, shared via flyer, email and/or face-to-face conversations.
Bargaining update
Things that both the union and employer are legally obligated to discuss at the request of either party.
Mandatory subjects
A provision that provides for the reopening of a contract before its expiration in order to renegotiate a certain section.
Reopener
One person who will make a formal record of the bargaining.
Note-taker
If either party makes a proposal that includes items that revert back to former positions or are better than the most recent proposal presented by the other side, this is considered...
Regressive bargaining
The set of top priorities members establish at the outset of a campaign, the things they are willing to fight/strike for.
Bargaining Platform
The language that is pretty much standard across all contracts.
Boilerplate language
A type of bargaining which involves certain decisions which are within management's rights to make. In other words, the union is able to bargain over the effects or the impact of the decision on members, but not the decision itself.
Impact bargaining
A person assigned to carefully watch members of management during bargaining to take not of any reactions or changes in body language.
When the union and the employer have bargained in good faith for an extended period of time and are unable to reach an agreement/remain deadlocked.
Impasse
Someone who carefully watches members of management during bargaining, to take note of any reactions or changes in body language.
Scout
Things that both the union and employer can bargain over but aren’t required to
Permissive subjects
Occasionally, bargaining teams will make offers or propose specific contract language usually without putting it in writing, usually towards the end of bargaining
"Supposal"