Collective Bargaining

Collective bargaining involves the practice of negotiating salaries, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment between employers and the representatives of their employees. In the bargaining process, employees select their sole bargaining representatives according to state and/or federal procedural requirements. Although some organizations are referred to as employee associations instead of unions, the terms association and union are used interchangeably for the purposes of this entry, because both groups represent their members when negotiating labor contracts. This entry presents a brief history of collective bargaining in the United States that identifies and discusses key federal legislation related to collective bargaining along with relevant cases related to negotiations in higher education. The entry concludes by identifying current key issues in collective bargaining in higher education.