Collective bargaining takes collective action

Labor unions have many facets, many strengths, many tactics, many forms of activity. But nothing is more fundamental to the collective power that a union represents than collective bargaining. It is the means by which working people come together to improve our workplaces, our standard of living, and the quality of our lives.The forms of bargaining often differ depending on the traditions and structures of each union. But at its core, collective bargaining is a legally guided process through which workers can determine what is most important to them, and their employer is required to engage in good-faith negotiations to reach an agreement that addresses those concerns.  

In our union, members elect, from their own ranks, representatives to engage in that bargaining process. With input from the membership, the committee then identifies the goals it will work to accomplish in the negotiations. And then they sit down at the bargaining table—yes, there is almost always a real table—with the union on one side and management on the other. 

That’s the framework, but that’s not the whole picture. Yes, employers are required to bargain in good faith with the union. But they’re not required to agree with the union. And that’s where the challenges arise. Some employers actually care about their employees and want to do right by them. In those all-too-rare instances, agreements can be reached in a matter of a few months. But all too often—especially in these times of tight budgets—employers come to the table with their only goal being to hold the line on everything, or even to roll back gains previously made.

That’s when it’s critical to remember that collective bargaining is rarely just about what happens at the bargaining table. Over the course of decades, AFSCME in Illinois has secured thousands of union contracts—every one of them representing steady progress in transforming members’ lives: Family income has increased, standards of living have risen, access to quality health care has expanded, workplaces have become safer, rights have been strengthened, and workers’ voices have been heard, loud and clear.

We accomplished all that because we don’t think only of a bargaining table, but of a bargaining arena. And we don’t just depend on a bargaining committee, but on a bargaining force—all members united in working to win the best possible contract. We don’t just sit; we stand, we march, we rally, we push, we picket, and in extreme circumstances, we shut it all down, we go out on strike.  

In October, we held the first meeting of the bargaining committee for a new state of Illinois contract which embodies the aspirations of some 40,000 state employees. The current contract expires on June 30, 2027. The committee, 220 members elected by 70 state local unions, is reviewing nearly 1,000 proposals submitted by members all across the state in order to determine what our union’s priorities will be in this round of contract negotiations when they get underway in January. Committee members are also getting to work to set up Member Action Teams in their local unions that can serve as communication and mobilization networks as needed.

We’re also going back to the bargaining table in early ‘27 for two other large employee groups—the city of Chicago and Cook County. And then there will be dozens of other rounds of negotiations—some just getting started, some where we’ve already been battling for months (even years!) at universities, in local governments, and at nonprofit entities from one end of the state to the other.

None of these negotiations will be easy. We are living under the dark cloud of Trump Administration policies that have slashed billions of dollars in federal funding from state and local governments—all to provide ever-bigger tax breaks for the ever-wealthier billionaire class.  

Now our employers will come to us pleading revenue shortfalls, spiraling health insurance costs and pressing other needs. And they won’t be lying. But they will, in essence, be wrong. We can’t let them just sit back and do nothing while the Washington axe falls heavy on our heads.  

Winning fair contracts in the coming year will require massive grassroots action, but it will also require ever more intensive action in the legislative and electoral arenas to win back the revenues that have effectively been stolen from working people. It will require new revenue-raising measures that raise taxes on the millionaire class that has reaped so many benefits in our current political ecosphere. And it will be up to us to lead the way in that battle.

There’s a reason why national polls increasingly indicate that more and more Americans have a positive view of unions—and many say they would join a union if they could. Collective bargaining is a big part of that reason. It’s about collective power. Not only do unions provide us with the right to bargain collectively to improve our lives, they provide us with the ability to take the kind of collective action that backs up that bargaining.  
That’s what our union is all about. We’ve surely got some tough times ahead to win the contract fights that are looming. But we are a tough bunch, battle-tested and determined to continue to move forward. It will take all of us standing together, refusing to be divided or distracted, unwavering in our commitment, to continue to make real progress for ourselves, for our families, and for generations to come.