Labor Terms to Know

Since SLOCEA and the County are in the throws of negotiations for a successor agreement, this seemed like a good time to further clarify some of the labor terms and jargon that you may be reading on the Member Portal.

Collective Bargaining (Meet and Confer and Negotiations): This is the negotiation process that occurs between an employer and an employee union where the parties try in good faith to reach agreement on wages, hours, benefits and other terms and conditions of employment. Wages and benefits, hours and other terms and conditions of employment are the “mandatory” subjects within the scope of bargaining and upon which the parties must meet and confer in good faith.

Bargaining Unit: A group of employee classifications (jobs) that share a community of interest for labor relations matters and that is represented by a labor union in collective bargaining/negotiations and other labor relations matters.

Contract, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA): A labor agreement or contract that has been negotiated between the employer and the employee union for a specific time period (length of the contract) covering the wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment for employees covered by the contract.

COLA: A cost of living adjustment. A term used to describe wage increases that are granted across-the-board to all employees in the bargaining unit.

Tentative Agreement (TA): Issues that are agreed to during bargaining on a labor contract and which are set aside as “tentatively agreed to” until an overall agreement of the entire contract is reached.  Tentative agreements are not in effect until all of the bargaining table issues have been resolved, settled and ratified.

Ratification: Once a tentative agreement of the entire contract is reached a vote by the members of the bargaining unit is taken to accept or reject the contract that has been negotiated between the union and the employer. If the contract is ratified by the members, the governing body must to adopt the agreement, making it a binding contract.

Reopener Clause: A clause in the labor contract that sets a date or circumstance that opens negotiations on one or more issues in the contract, but does not open the entire contract for negotiation.

Impasse: Impasse occurs during contract negotiations when the parties reach a stalemate in the discussions, and at least one of the parties (usually the employer), “declares” that no further progress towards settlement is possible or expected.

Fact Finding: A procedure, usually advisory, to submit matters that are unresolved in a bargaining impasse. A hearing is held before a fact finder or a panel of three persons: a neutral fact finder, a person selected by the union and a person selected by the employer. A report and advisory recommendations regarding the disputed issues is released to the parties and the public following the hearing.

Concerted Labor Actions: Legal term for protected activities that employees collectively engage in for the purpose of improving wages and other terms and conditions of their employment. A labor strike is the most well-known example of a concerted labor action.

Theresa Schultz

Senior Labor Representative