Unions are in place so workers in New York and across the nation have some level of bargaining power and the ability to band together to come to an agreement with their employer. A key part of that is collective bargaining. With collective bargaining, the workers gather and negotiate with management to improve their conditions on the job. The main goal of collective bargaining is to address concerns and issues at work. This can involve wages, vacations, how discipline is handled, promotions, raises and more.
The National Labor Relations Act covers legal issues for unions. The National Labor Relations Board is tasked with handling any dispute between labor and management that becomes a legal matter. If there are violations, the NLRB will enforce them. There is a “good faith” rule for collective bargaining. With this, there are certain things that the sides should do to adhere to it. Failure to meet with the other party; adjusting the terms of an agreement without telling the other party; and failing to be aboveboard when negotiating are all examples of ignoring good faith collective bargaining.
Unions are expected to provide representation fairly and equally. That is not an implication that the individual members should have all of their demands met by the union, but everyone should be given an equal opportunity to have their voices heard when negotiating. When negotiations are unfruitful or there are disagreements at any point in the negotiation process, the NLRB can hear the dispute and come to a decision.
While there are protections in place for unions, it is still important to have legal advice and representation to protect the union and its members. A law firm that is experienced in collective bargaining and understands the NLRB, NLRA, good faith negotiating and more can be vital to a union’s success. A law firm experienced in labor law can provide guidance as to how to move forward in any work-related and negotiating situation.