- A clause is a statement that deals with a specific topic in the collective agreement.
- A collective agreement, also referred to as a “contract” or “collective bargaining agreement” is a contract between the union and the employer, covering wages, hours of work, benefits, rights of workers and the union, and procedures to be followed when settling disputes and grievances. (From CAPE)
- Demand book refers to the document where the union has written down what they are asking from the employer, aka our demands. It is the basis for discussion at the bargaining table, and it will turn into the collective agreement once both sides agree to what is written in the demand book.
- Pressure tactics in a union context are coordinated actions by members of a union to put pressure on management. Pressure tactics are wide and varied, from wearing union badges and hanging union flyers, to picketing and strikes. Recent COFAM examples include the rally and the grade-in, which were pressure tactics to get the management to deliver the full counter-offer to the bargaining team.
- A strike mandate gives the executive discretionary authority to call a strike. Strike mandates can be for a limited duration strike (5 days, for example) or unlimited duration. When a union votes for a limited strike mandate, the members are voting to empower the executive to call a strike of limited duration if the employer refuses to bargain constructively or in good faith. It does not automatically mean that a union will go on strike.
Definitions written by Jill Boruff, President of AMLAS, based on a wide variety of readings on union topics and on lived experience, for inclusion in weekly emails for AMLAS members. New definitions will be added as they are written.