Collective Bargaining Committees

Representatives of the company management and representatives of the local union or bargaining unit collectively bargain union contracts.

Local unions that represent many worksites of one employer, workers for many different employers or workers that work in separate geographical areas may form bargaining units within the local. The bargaining unit may be comprised of workers, in one worksite, of one employer or within a distinct geographical area.

Typical members of the management bargaining team include:

• Attorney
• Human resources representative
• Employer selected upper-level or mid-level managers
• Employers association representative

Typical members of the union bargaining team include:

• Staff representative from the local or international union
• Local union officers
• Bargaining unit shop steward
• Members of the local union bargaining committee 

Collective Bargaining Structures

The organizational structure of the bargaining process will often determine representation on the union and management bargaining teams. Below are the three most common structures:

Decentralized bargaining occurs at a single worksite with a limited number of employees. For example, maintenance engineers at a state college campus who are a bargaining unit of a maintenance engineers local union.

• Members of the management bargaining team
• Attorney
• Human resources representative
• Upper-level management
• Members of the union bargaining team
• Bargaining unit officers
• Bargaining unit negotiations committee i.e. maintenance engineers
•  Local union representative

Skilled trade bargaining occurs with workers that are trained and certified to work in a specific skilled trade in a geographical region and a contractors association. For example, journeyman and apprentice plumbers in a metropolitan region who are members of a local union.

• Members of the contractor’s bargaining team
• Attorney
• Contractors association representative
• Contractors on association negotiations committee
• Members of the union’s bargaining team
• Local union representatives i.e. plumbers local union representatives
• Local union bargaining team i.e. plumbers
• International union regional representative

Multi-site bargaining occurs between the workers that are employed by the same employer at multiple sites and corporate management. For example, grocery store workers who work for a single corporation.

• Members of the corporation’s bargaining team
• Attorney
• Human resources representative
• Corporate management negotiators
• Members of the union bargaining team
• Local union(s) representative(s)
• Local union(s) bargaining team(s) members i.e. grocery store worker