The pitfalls of collective bargainingWhat is collective bargaining? This term is defined by Merriam-Webster (2014) as talks between an employer and union leaders about how much a group of workers will be paid, how many hours they will work, etc. The main goal of this contracting process is to create a conducive work environment to make the task or job more effective, convenient, safe or rewarding. As organizations move forward with these methods, the likelihood of employers or employees being taken for granted or injured is reduced. In many cases, associations use this tactic specifically to establish a common practice and convey a message regarding the social change they want to envision happening. In these cases, multiple parties or groups of personnel may be included. Collective bargaining involves negotiations between an employer and a group of employees to define workplace circumstances. The outcome of collective bargaining processes is a cooperative solution. Workers are often represented in negotiations by a trade union group or another group of workers. Collective bargaining is governed by federal and state statutory laws, administrative agency regulations, and judicial decisions. In areas where federal and state laws overlap, state laws take precedence (Mathis & Jackson, 2007). The primary body of law governing collective bargaining is the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). This entity unequivocally recognizes employees' privilege to bargain collectively and join unions. The NLRA was initially enacted by Congress in 1935 under its interstate commerce enforcement authority. It affects most nonagricultural private workers and employers involved in some aspect of interstate... middle of paper... e.g. through collective bargaining strategies. Looking at the literature and research, businesses are less susceptible to the practice of collective bargaining than staff because the business finds new staff. However, finding a new job is much more difficult for workers. This is the main reason why employees will work to negotiate fair terms to satisfy their requests. The desired goal of collective bargaining is to maintain a healthy relationship between employees and employers to ensure that all operations proceed efficiently. Resources (2014). Excerpt from (n.d.). Retrieved from www.merriam-webster.com(nd). Retrieved from http://www.ocb-nyc.org/Collective Bargaining. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aaup.org/Mathis, R., & Jackson, J. (2007). Human resources management. (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Southwest Cengage Learning. DOI: www.cengagebrain.com