ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the movement of unions beyond their initial certification as bargaining agents to consider the process for achieving first collective agreements and the substantive outcomes of first-contract bargaining. It begins with an overview of Canadian industrial relations, most notably the processes by which unions organise new members. This is followed by a review of labour policies affecting first-contract bargaining, including process issues such as the duty to ‘bargain in good faith’, compulsory conciliation and first-contract arbitration procedures. Next, it considers factors influencing the content of first collective agreements, including statutory minima for collective agreements and the jurisprudence pertaining to firstcontract arbitration. How well unions do in first-contract bargaining is considered by comparing data on the bargaining process and selected bargaining outcomes in first contracts with bargaining outcomes in Canada as a whole. In the final section, the chapter examines the nexus between local and national unions to assess the degree of national support for collective bargaining, organising and servicing.
