15-4 The employer and union hammer out an agreement via the collective bargaining process. The heart of collective bargaining is good faith bargaining, which means both parties must make reasonable efforts to arrive at agreement, and proposals are matched with counterproposals.

There are mandatory bargaining items such as pay, illegal bargaining items, and voluntary bargaining items such as benefits for retirees. If things don’t go smoothly during bargaining, the parties may utilize third-party intermediaries, including mediators, fact finders, and arbitrators.

Strikes represent a withdrawal of labor.