What is first contract arbitration?

First Contract Arbitration (FCA) is a statutory mechanism that allows either party in unsuccessful negotiations to apply to the Labour Board to direct the settlement of a first collective agreement by arbitration.

What is the union arbitration process?

The union arbitration process starts with a grievance process. This is to resolve the case at the lower levels of the organization. Disputes that remain unresolved go through arbitration. During the arbitration, the employer and the union will each present their case and argue their position.

When was the first collective bargaining agreement?

1891
The term “collective bargaining” was first used in 1891 by Beatrice Webb, a founder of the field of industrial relations in Britain. It refers to the sort of collective negotiations and agreements that had existed since the rise of trade unions during the 18th century.

What is it called when unions negotiate contracts?

Collective bargaining is the process in which working people, through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family, and more.

How do employers and unions arrive at arbitration?

How do an employer and an employee (or union) arrive at arbitration? Arbitration may be and, in the context of employer-union disputes, generally is preceded by a grievance process. By agreement, parties may waive some or all of the steps of the grievance procedure and proceed directly to arbitration.

When does arbitration begin in a business contract?

Typically, arbitration begins when two parties agree to settle their dispute through arbitration. The decision may also have been made for them by the addition of an arbitration clause to a contract that both parties have signed. A typical arbitration clause in a business contract might look like this (from the American Arbitration Association):

How does arbitration work in a unionized workplace?

Arbitration resolves disputes between parties. In the unionized workplace, arbitration is a means of resolving disputes that occur in the application or interpretation of a collective bargaining agreement between an employer and a union representing employees.

Can a union employee file a grievance in arbitration?

Negotiated grievance procedures and the arbitration process. The Statute also requires that negotiated grievance procedures provide for binding arbitration of grievances that the parties are unable to resolve. Generally, only an agency or a union may invoke arbitration; an individual employee may not.

Who is eligible for arbitration under the FLRA?

Generally, only an agency or a union may invoke arbitration; an individual employee may not. For more detailed information about negotiated grievance procedures and the arbitration process, see the FLRA’s Updated Guide to Arbitration (revised September 30, 2016) and the FLRA’s web-based Comprehensive Arbitration Training.