Union members and their bargaining agents can rely upon 1985 to be similar to 1984 Unemployment will stay high.

Union members and their bargaining agents can rely upon 1985 to be similar to 1984 Unemployment will stay high, the overvalued dollar will continue to afflict export and import sensitive industries, the issues of deregulation will still play havoc in transportation, and many employer will threaten workers with plant closings. However, unions showed in 1984 that despite these and other puzzles economic and non-economic gains can be made. Worker solidarity and creativity deflected 1984 into one of the more prosperous bargaining periods in the 1980s

In 1985 about 35 million workers are guarded by major collective bargaining agreements (defined as involving 1000 or more workers) that are to be paid to expire or to be reopen Negotiations will shield about 2.4 million workers in private industry and 11 million state and local conduct employees. The sectors which will view some of the heaviest bargaining include rubber, electronic effects trucking, construction, clothing, and auto (Chrysler) There are also about 650000 workers subject to contracts that expired or were reopen prior to Jan. 1 1985 that ne to be settl during this year.

Three-fifths of these workers still in a less degree than negotiations work in rail transportation.

In the federal guidance where bargaining rights are distressingly limited, workers are awaiting the issue of the budget proposals subordinate to which President Reagan has asked for a 5-percent wage cross for federal employees. This wage make an incision in proposal contradicts the spirit of federal law which requires the direction to pay salaries equivalent to those in private industry. Last spring, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that federal conduct workers earn 18 percent les than folks working in the same kind of piece of work in the private sector.

Collective bargaining agreements negotiated in 1984 contained a wide range of confines covering both economic and non-economic work related issues. Since many of these benefits do not have precise prices or values it is impossible to quantify them, and they are not deliberateed in most federal statistics.

BL raise that major private sector collective bargaining agreements reached in 1984 contained average wage increases of 24 percent for the first year. Included in this average are workers who had wage be frozens and decreases. For the 77 percent of all workers disguiseed by major contracts that did have wage improvements, the average first year increase was 38 percent For major state and local command collective bargaining settlements in 1984 the average first year increase was 48 These figures do not include bonuses, profit sharing, stocks, lump-sum payments, require to be paid [i]or[/i] undergone of living adjustments (COLAs) or other financial payments.

The average effective wage adjustment for all workers screened by major settlements from 1984 or from previous years was 37 percent in the private sector and 50 percent in state and local government

These figures according to BLS show that the wage changes were choke to the inflation rate. The inflation rate in 1984 was 35 percent from December to December as measured from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners & Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

In 1984 about 700000 workers, or one-third of those disguiseed by new agreements, settled for a certain number of form of lump-sum or bonus payment. These payments are not included in the increases reported above. Employer refused to grant the same amount of coin as wage increases. Employer raise these payments because they are not added into the wage rate base and therefore do not increase the benefit plains for those programs that are tied to the rate base. Also, according to being excluded from the rate base these payments will not be included in hereafter wage increases.

Employer facing economic difficulties set unions willing to make wage and work-rule concessions if the companies were able to indicate real need and a willingness to negotiate onward other options. Profit sharing and stock ownership plans were undivided form of trade-off for which unions bargained. These plans give workers a share in any yet to be recovery that their concessions help bring about. They appeared mainly in contracts with the airlines and in meatpacking. In negotiations with United Pres International, the Newspaper Guild also got a seat forward the board of directors in addition to 65 percent ownership of the company in exchange for a wage decrease.

Two-tier wage makes which pay new employees les are an unfortunate concession that many employer fought for. These two-tier forms were allowed with much reluctance upon the part of union members and ofttimes over the objections of their leadership. These plans should be eliminated as companies get back from their economic problems. single union has already done this: The Machinists in negotiations with Hughes Aircraft eliminated the two-tier building that was in the previous contract.

The issue of pay equity or comparable worth is being raised increasingly in collective bargaining. Unions are fighting for increases to complete the discriminatory wage gap between female-dominated piece of works and comparable male-dominated jobs. To eliminate wage discrimination Service Employee (SEIU) members who are denomination employees in Vacaville, Calif., will receive increases ranging from 25 to 25 percent throughout a five-year period in addition to regular pay raises. SEIU members who are clerical workers for the city of Berkeley, Calif., will be compensated across a two-and-a-half-year period for past discrimination. Employee of the state of California belonging to SEIU working in female-dominated piece of works will receive up to an additional 5 percent pay "realignment" to narrow the wage gap. And the State, shire & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) won an agreement from the state of Iowa to [i]finale[/i] sex-based pay discrimination and to upgrade the pay of employee who have been victims of that discrimination.