What Is Collective Bargaining?

A new challenge to restore collective bargaining has been made. Many of you have heard that term and may remember the fights that went into laws limiting it in Wisconsin, but what is collective bargaining?

"Collective bargaining is the process in which working people, through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family, and more. Collective bargaining is a way to solve workplace problems. It is also the best means for raising wages in America. Indeed, through collective bargaining, working people in unions have higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces." 

In short, collective bargaining is what gives a union the power to negotiate for wage and benefits increases. Without collective bargaining, we are subject to wage increases that are inadequate, and not agreed to by the union (demonstrated this summer in the wage bargain with MATC).