In this section, some of the major techniques and tactics relevant to the actual bargaining sessions with management are discussed. There is no formula for effective negotiations, but there are many broad issues about which the union bargaining committee should be in agreement with respect to meetings with the management committee. Collective bargaining is a matter of power. Power relationships within or between organizations are more than matters of economic position, they are often determined by behavioral or psychological factors. Some understanding of how power is exercised is critical to the union's preparation for bargaining.
Power is in part a function of equality and authority.
If one person concedes authority to another, the first person has given the second a source of power. In bargaining, the union has the right and responsibility to deal with the representatives of the employer as equals. While the typical workplace is built on principles of authority and subordination, the bargaining process is not. When union members leave the shop floor to negotiate with the company, they are no longer in a position of subordination to the managerial authority of the employer. Control of the agenda is an exercise of power.