Negotiations

	Barneys Distribution Center: After three sessions, focus on health insurance GO>>		CSS: Negotiations underway and making progress GO>>		Brooks Bros. Short Hills: Contract extended till June 30, 2007		Barneys clerical unit: Active negotiations on hold pending distribution center talks GO>>

Contract negotiations are at the very heart of what a union does and is.

Find out when your contract expires — click here

The union contract determines the wages, benefits and work conditions that members have; it is the concrete outcome of the union's efforts to improve the lives of its members. But members have to know their contract and be ready to enforce it on the shop floor for the contract to be more than a piece of paper. Click here for the Know Your Contract section of the website, which answers commonly asked questions about the contract.

How negotiations work

The contract is negotiated between management and the union. Each side sends a committee to the bargaining table. The union's negotiating committee consists of members from the shop, elected by everyone in the shop; as well as members from the union's elected full-time staff. Preparations for negotiations begin months before the old contract expires. What the union asks for at the bargaining table is determined by the input members give when they are asked what they would like to see in the next contract. During negotiations, the union bargaining committee reports back to members in the shop on the process. When negotiators have reached an agreement and the union representatives think that it's the best contract offer they can achieve, all members of the shop get to vote on the contract.

Winning strong contracts

The key to winning good contracts is a strong union, and the key to a strong union is an informed, active membership. If management thinks we are weak, they will offer us little or nothing at the negotiating table and refuse our demands because they don't think we're ready to fight for them. If management knows we're strong, they will treat our contract proposals with respect.

Each shop in Local 340 has its own union contract, negotiated by members from that shop. However, many of the provisions of the separate contracts are similar, and winning an improvement in one shop can help members in another shop win the same thing. This is one reason why it's important for all members of Local 340 to support the members of each shop in its contract negotiations.

Contract Expiration Dates

J. Press March 31, 2008	Paul Stuart March 31, 2010
Barneys (Madison Avenue Store) March 31, 2008	Jos. A. Bank April 30, 2009
Barneys (CO-OP Division) April 30, 2008	Rothmans April 30, 2006 - extended
Brooks Bros. (NY & CT) March 31, 2009	Brooks Bros. (Short Hills) March 31, 2007 - extended to 6/30
C.S.S. Facility Management April 3, 2007 - extended to 4/30