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Glossary of Labor Terms
Glossary of Labor Terms
| agency shop | a provision whereby employees must either join the union in their workplace, or pay a service fee equivalent to a proportion of the dues rate, as a condition of employment (commonly found in public sector occupations in California) |
| arbitration | the final and binding settlement of a labor dispute by a neutral third party selected by the employer and the union, who agree to abide by the arbitrator's decision |
| bargaining unit | the group of workers composing a legally recognized unit for the purpose of bargaining collectively with an employer; represented by an exclusive bargaining agent |
| blacklist | an illegal employer-generated list of union supporters or other "undesirables" |
| boycott | an organized campaign of refusal to purchase a particular product or service of an employers involved in a labor dispute |
| business agent | a paid union representative (elected or appointed, depending on the union's by-laws) who handles grievances, negotiates contracts, and carries out related duties for the union. |
| checkoff | the automatic withholding of union dues by an employer, with the permission of the employee; must be agreed to by the union and the employer in contract negotiations |
| closed shop | provision whereby union membership is required as a condition of employment (currently illegal in most occupations, excepting construction) |
| collective bargaining | negotiations between a union and an employer over terms and conditions of employment |
| company union | a union dominated by an employer financially and otherwise |
| contract | the written reflecting agreements reached by the union and employer regarding wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment |
| craft union | union representing primarily skilled workers in a particular trade or craft |
| delegate | elected representative to the Central Labor Council, to a union's convention, or to other meetings |
| division of the house | when a motion is being voted on in a meeting being run by the rules of Parliamentary Procedure, any participant can call for a “division of the house.â€Â This obligates the Chair to conduct a roll-call vote of those present. In the case of the Labor Council, the roll-call is by union, and each union is entitled to the same number of votes as it has members (for whom it pays per capita to the Council.) |
| duty of fair representation | the duty of a union to represent all employees in the bargaining unit fairly, without discrimination |
| exclusive recognition | wherein a particular union has the sole right to represent employees at a particular work site (see "bargaining unit") |
| executive board/committee | the elected officers of an organization who make recommendations to the membership regarding activities and policy of the organization |
| general strike | a strike by all the unions in a particular locale, regardless of employer |
| grievance procedure | a negotiated procedure found in union contracts which is used to resolve disputes between workers and management |
| industrial union | a union organized along industry or location lines, representing all workers regardless of occupation or skill level |
| injunction | a written court order prohibiting certain activities |
| lockout | the barring of a workplace to its workers by an employer engaged in a labor dispute with the union |
| mediation | a process whereby a neutral third person is brought in to attempt to persuade labor and management to resolve a dispute voluntarily; a mediator may not make a binding decision, but may simply use listening, suggestion and other skills to convince the parties to settle. |
| open shop | a workplace with no form of union security agreement with the union |
| per capita | a Latin term meaning "per head"; the term used to refer to "dues" paid by an affiliated union to the Labor Council, based on number of members in the union. |
| right-to-work laws | laws existing in some states that forbid union shop or agency shop agreements between unions and employers (sometimes called "right to work for less laws") |
| scab | a strikebreaker; someone who crosses a picket line to work during a strike |
| steward | the union's representative at the work site |
| strike | the collective withdrawal of labor from the workplace |
| unfair labor practice | an act committed by a union or an employer in violation of the Labor Management Relations Act (National Labor Relations Act) |
| union shop | a union security provision whereby an employee must join the union at his/her workplace within a certain period of time as a condition of employment (illegal in so-called "right to work" states) |
| Weingarten Rights | the right of an employee to have a union representative present in an investigatory interview with an employer which might lead to discipline |
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