Collective Bargaining Facts

FAQs

What is collective bargaining?

The employer and union bargain over wages, hours of work, benefits and other conditions of employment.
Federal law says there is no requirement to reach an agreement.
By law, a union can promise you anything, but it cannot guarantee you will get more than you have now, or even keep what you have. No one can predict the future.
Collective bargaining, as defined by the law, requires an employer and the representative of its employees to:
- Meet at reasonable times
- Confer in good faith about certain matters
- Put into writing any agreement reached if requested by either party.
Bargaining is a give-and-take process between management and the union. You could end up with less than, more than or keep the same as you have now. There are no guarantees.

What happens if the union wins an election at JFK EMS?

The union would have the right to negotiate a contract on your behalf.
All wages, benefits, policies, and working conditions would be part of those negotiations.
There is no time limit on how long negotiations might take.
While the bargaining takes place, no matter how long it takes, there may be no change to your wages, benefits or working conditions.

What does the law say about negotiations?

There are no guarantees. Everything would be up for negotiation. Your compensation could increase, stay the same or decrease.

What does the law say about negotiations?

“…There is of course, no obligation on the part of an employer to contract to continue all existing benefits, nor is it an unfair labor practice to offer reduced benefits.”

– Midwestern Instruments, 133 NLRB 1132, 1138 (1961).

“…collective bargaining is potentially hazardous for employees and as a result of such negotiations, employees could possibly wind up with less benefits after unionization than before.”

Coach and Equipment Sales, 228 NLRB 440 (1977).

“The obligation [to bargain] does not, however, compel either party to agree to a proposal by the other, nor does it require either party to make a concession to the other.”

Source: Basic Guide to the National Labor Relations Act, Page 7