Collective bargaining extends the principles and practices of democracy to the workplace. It enables workers to participate in decision-making through democratically elected representatives, who negotiate the terms of employment and conditions of work with representatives of their employers. Once negotiations are complete, the agreed upon terms are outlined in the form of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA or contract), which must be authorized by the National Labor Relations Board. Union members then get to vote to approve or reject the contract.
If approved, the contract functions like a constitution, outlining a specific set of rights and responsibilities and establishing grievance procedures and other means to defend those rights. Contract terms can include, but are not limited to: wages and salary, cost-of-living adjustments, health care benefits and pension plans, workplace health and safety standards, hours of work, and job titles and responsibilities. The contract applies to all workers in a given workplace, even those who are not dues paying members.
UC-AFT negotiates separate contracts for Unit 17 Librarians and Unit 18 Teaching Faculty, as well as side letters for our K-12 and UCSF subunits. Understanding these contracts helps us to protect our rights and build our collective power.
