• A volunteer committee of union members will conduct a survey of the broader union membership to determine which issues HCC members are most concerned about, and which improvements they are most eager to win.
• The member committee will then use the priorities identified in that survey, and examples of the best contracts from other academic worker unions, to draft a contract proposal. The contract proposal will cover topics such as compensation, leave policies, healthcare benefits, promotion and discipline processes, grievance procedures, and more. 

A bargaining committee consisting of union members will sit down at the bargaining table with representatives of our employer (lawyers, budget and HR officers, etc.). The broader union membership will also have opportunities to participate in various ways throughout the process.

• The union’s bargaining team and the employer will set bargaining session dates. 
• At the bargaining sessions, the bargaining team and the employer will go through the union’s proposed contract point by point, trying to reach an agreement.
• If the employer and bargaining committee are in agreement on a point, they will move on to the next one. If they are not in agreement on part of the proposal, the employer will draft a counter proposal. The bargaining committee can accept the new proposal, make their own counter proposal (amending the original but not quite accepting the employer’s offer), or reject the employer’s proposal and make their case for standing by the original. 
• If the employer and bargaining committee are at an impasse on one proposal, they will typically move on and return to the sticking point later. The bargaining committee may then choose to make concessions on issues that are less important to the membership in exchange for agreement on proposals that are more important.
• In between bargaining sessions, the bargaining committee will provide updates on the progress of negotiations and seek input from the broader membership. If the employer appears to be stalling, or unfairly rejecting proposals that are important to the membership, the committee may call for actions like button up days, rallies, or a petition to encourage the employer to negotiate fairly.

The negotiation process takes place over many bargaining sessions. A strong union with an engaged membership can typically finish negotiations within a few months. 

• When the bargaining team and the employer have reached an agreement on all points in the proposed contract, the new version of the contract, called a “tentative agreement” (TA) is sent to all union members for a ratification vote. 
• If the majority of members vote to ratify, the new contract will go into effect. If the members reject the tentative agreement, the bargaining team and employer will return to the table and try to come up with a new TA that will have the approval of the membership.
• The contract cannot go into effect until the membership has voted to ratify it.

• A union contract is a mutually agreed upon and legally binding contract. That means union members and their employer have a say in the content of the contract, and have formal, legal mechanisms for enforcing the contract. 
• Hire letters may also be legally binding, but they are not as comprehensive as a union contract, they are written by the employer with less input from employees, and enforcement can be very difficult and personally costly for employees.
• Employee handbooks are written with limited or no input from workers, and are not legally binding. An employer can rewrite or simply disregard the policies in an employee handbook any time they choose.

• A union contract is a mutually agreed upon and legally binding contract. That means union members and their employer have a say in the content of the contract, and have formal, legal mechanisms for enforcing the contract. 
• Hire letters may also be legally binding, but they are not as comprehensive as a union contract, they are written by the employer with less input from employees, and enforcement can be very difficult and personally costly for employees.
• Employee handbooks are written with limited or no input from workers, and are not legally binding. An employer can rewrite or simply disregard the policies in an employee handbook any time they choose.