AFL-CIO
A group of union members that merged membership in 1955 from the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

agency shop
A situation in which all employees pay union dues whether or not they are union members.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)
A union group devoted to improving economic and working conditions for craft employees.

arbitration
A quasi-judicial process in which the parties agree to submit the unresolvable dispute to a neutral third party for binding settlement.

Arbitration Act of 1888
The first federal statute dealing with national strikes. Two means were provided for the adjustment of labor disputes—voluntary arbitration and investigation.

authorization card
A document indicating by a simple yes or no vote whether an employee wants to be represented by a union or employee association.

bargaining unit
Two or more employees who share common employment interests and conditions and may reasonably be grouped together.

boycott
In a primary boycott, union members do not patronize the boycotted firm. In a secondary boycott, a supplier of a boycotted firm is threatened with a union strike unless it stops doing business with the firm. This latter type of boycott is illegal under the Taft-Hartley Act.

certification election
Once employees demonstrate an interest in joining a union, the National Labor Relations Board requires that within a period of time (often set at 45 days) a certification election must occur. If the union was 50 percent plus one vote, it becomes the exclusive bargaining unit.

closed shop
A situation in which a new employee must be a union member when hired. Popular in the construction, maritime, and printing industries.

collective bargaining
The process by which representatives of the organization meet and attempt to work out a contract with representatives of the union.

concession bargaining
Bargaining in which something of importance is given back to management by the union.

conciliation
The first step in the mediation continuum, which involves an attempt to persuade disputing parties to meet and discuss their problems.

decertification election
An election in which employees who are represented by a union vote to drop the union.

distributive bargaining
Occurs when labor and management are in conflict on an issue and when the outcome is a win-lose situation.

economic strike
A strike caused by disagreement over primarily economic issues.

fact-finding
An impasse resolution technique involving a neutral third party who studies the issues in a dispute and recommends a reasonable settlement.

grievance
A complaint about a job that creates dissatisfaction or discomfort for the worker.

integrative bargaining
Occurs when the two sides face a common problem and when the outcome of bargaining is a win-win situation.

interest arbitration
An impasse resolution technique in which a neutral third party imposes a settlement on the disputing parties.

jurisdictional strike
A strike that occurs when two unions argue and disagree over who has the right to perform a job.

Knights of Labor
Founded in 1869, this was the first union to achieve significant size and influence in the United States.

labor relations
The continuous relationship between a defined group of employees (e.g., a union or association) and an employer.

labor union
An organization of employees that uses collective action to advance its members' interests in wages and working conditions.

Landrum-Griffin Act
A labor law passed in 1959 that is referred to as the bill of rights of union members. It was designed to regulate and audit the internal affairs of unions.

lockout
A management response to union pressures in which a skeleton crew of managerial personnel is used to maintain a workplace; the plant is closed to employees.

mediation
A process in which a neutral third party helps through persuasion to bring together labor and management. The dispute is settled because of the skills and suggestions of a mediator.

mediator
A neutral third party who uses persuasion to settle disputes between labor and management.

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
A government regulatory body that administers labor laws and regulations in the private and nonprofit sectors.

Norris-LaGuardia Act
Also called the anti-injunction act, limited the use of injunctions by federal courts, boycotts, and strikes.

open shop
A work situation in which a union is not present and there is no management effort to keep the union out.

permanent replacement
Attempting to replace union workers with permanent replacements. In a strike situation, management can replace union workers. However, unions would bargain long and hard to prevent the permanent replacement strategy.

picketing
Placing union members at the plant entrances to advertise the dispute and discourage people from entering or leaving the company's premises during a strike.

preferential shop
The union is recognized and union members are given preference in some areas. These preferences violate the Taft-Hartley Act.

Railway Labor Act
A labor law passed in 1926 that provides railroad (and later airline) employees with the right to organize and bargain collectively with management.

restricted shop
A practice initiated by management to keep a union out without violating labor laws. A restricted shop is an attitude rather than a formal arrangement.

right-to-work laws
Laws that specify that two people doing the same job must be paid the same wages, whether or not they are union members. Nineteen states have right-to-work laws.

sitdown strike
Employees are on strike, but remain on the physical site such as their office or plant location.

Taft-Hartley Act
A labor amendment of the Wagner Act, passed in 1947, that guaranteed employees' bargaining rights and also specified unfair labor union practices that would not be permitted.

union shop
A situation in which an employee is required to join a union after being hired.

union steward
A union representative who works at the job site to resolve disputes that arise in connection with the labor–management contract.

Wagner Act
A labor law passed in 1935 that was designed to encourage the growth of trade unions and restrain management from interfering with that growth.

wildcat strike
An unapproved strike that occurs because some segment of the union is not satisfied.

yellow-dog contract
A contract (now illegal) that required that a person (such as a job applicant) would not join or form a union.