Define and Discuss the Term Collective Bargaining

1. Define and discuss the term collective bargaining.

The main goals of the U.S. labor relations system is to allow employees to negotiate their terms and conditions of employment with their employer as a group, instead of individually taking or leaving whatever their employer offers unilaterally. This comes together through collective bargaining. (Budd) Collective bargaining is normally negotiations between two parties employees' representatives and employer's representatives. This is normally between and employer and a group of employees that determine the conditions of employment. Often employees are represented in the bargaining by a union or other labor organization.

Collective bargaining is govern by National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA establishes procedures for the selection of labor organization to represent a unit of employees in collective bargaining. "State laws further regulate collective bargaining and make collective agreements enforceable under state law. They may also provide guidelines for those employers and employees not covered by NRLA, such as agricultural laborers." ("Cornell University Law School")

2. Indentify and discuss three laws that support collective bargaining.

National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is the main law that helps support and organizes collective bargaining. The NLRA was endorsed by President Franklin Roosevelt. The National Labor Relations Act made it able to form unions and use collective bargaining.

Another law that supports collective bargaining is Taft-Hartely Act of 1947 (or known as Labor-Management Relations Act. Taft-Hartley Act amended the Labor Management Relations Act by providing the government far more oversight over union activities. The act gave the president the right to stop a strike at any time if it seemed dangerous to national health. The act