Bargaining 101 #1 What is Collective Bargaining?

This is one in a series of articles on the basics of bargaining.  The information contained in these articles is designed to educate members on the general processes of negotiations for OSSTF/FEESO members.  These articles do not contain any information on the current round of central negotiations. For information on the current round of negotiations please see bargaining bulletins.

#1 What is Collective Bargaining?

OSSTF/FEESO is a recognized trade union under the Ontario Labour Relations Act and bargains collectively for its members. Bargaining collectively concentrates the power of individual workers.

Collective bargaining is a process whereby your union and the employer exchange proposals and solve problems with the current terms and conditions of your employment, which ends by reaching a final written agreement. Not only are there financial considerations proposed (e.g. raises, allowances, overtime pay, vacation pay), there are also considerations for the working conditions of members (e.g. hours of work, class size, working hours, caseload). Each time a collective agreement expires, there is an opportunity to revisit the language it contains.

There is no set timeframe for how long it takes to negotiate a collective agreement. This is dictated more by the landscape and scope of issues, bargaining strategy, and the pace of bargaining. The law only demands that employers and unions bargain honestly and sincerely, which is more commonly known as bargaining in good faith.

Members are given an opportunity to vote on the final written agreement achieved in bargaining, through a process called ratification. Once the agreement is ratified by each of the parties, the resulting contract is legally binding for the members and for the employer.

In the next issue: How does the union prepare for bargaining?