Union Terms

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AFL-CIO

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The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) was created in 1955 through the merger of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).The AFL-CIO is a voluntary federation of 55 labor unions; it fights for workers' rights through activism and political advocacy. The AFL-CIO advances legislation and advocates for creating good jobs, investing in schools and transportation, minimum wage, strengthening Social Security and pensions, ensuring fair tax policies, and making high-quality, affordable health care available to all. The AFL-CIO fights for good jobs, and holds corporations accountable for their actions. As the federation says:
"We help make safe, equitable workplaces and give working people a collective voice to address workplace injustices without the fear of retaliation. We fight for social and economic justice and strive to vanquish oppression in all its forms."

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Terms in this set (20)

AFL-CIO

Arbitration

Most grievance procedures end with the option of arbitration. This is a formal process whereby a third party (the arbitrator) settles a dispute between an employer and the union by holding a hearing and issuing a final decision if the parties can't agree on their own. It is similar to a court case, where both employer and employee present their evidence, and the arbitrator acts as the judge. If a labor-management dispute cannot be resolved through the grievance process, the last step is arbitration.

Bargaining Agent/Exclusive Bargaining Representative

This refers to the organization that will represent a specific group of workers in bargaining a contract. Instead of individuals bargaining their own contracts, there is one organization representing all workers in a particular bargaining unit. "The union," as it is usually referred to, is the only group with whom an employer is allowed to and required to negotiate wages, hours and working conditions.

Bargaining Unit

The group of workers that is represented by a particular union is called the bargaining unit. Some workplaces might have one bargaining unit -- for example, all workers in an automobile factory may be in one unit. Other workplaces have several bargaining units -- for example, in a school the teachers might be in one bargaining unit, while the bus drivers are in another unit, and the custodial staff and paraprofessionals are in yet other units. Each bargaining unit negotiates a contract that covers its members and relates to their specific jobs.

Boycott

organized effort to stop patronizing a company or a particular product, in order to pressure a company or an industry to recognize a union or to change its practices. For example, beginning in the late 1960s, the United Farm Workers union employed a series of boycotts in an attempt to gain recognition for grape and lettuce fieldworkers. Recently, Driscoll's berry distributor became the target of a boycott due to its record of unfair labor practices.