Collective Bargaining in the Face of Instability: A Resource for Workers and Employers in the U.S. Aerospace Industry

Collective bargaining agreements are a core factor in the employment relationships among participants in the aerospace industry. In unionized facilities these agreements govern many aspects of day-to-day interaction as well as important processes such as promotion, job rotation, and employee development. In non-unionized firms bargaining agreements do not physically exist, but their impact on the shaping workplace conditions is still felt. Contract language and bargaining agreements result from reactions and strategic initiatives often in response to actual or anticipated instability reflected in the cyclical nature of the industry. Therefore the LARA project undertook a study of the existing contract language in order to understand the role of collective bargaining with respect to instability in the aerospace industry.