A question that has been asked frequently over the years is, “Why should we care about collective bargaining?” ". What has been missing in discussions of collective bargaining is a real explanation and understanding of the concept. Collective bargaining has been described as a process by which employees and their representatives form a united front, called a union, to negotiate with their employers. These negotiations typically cover items such as pay rates and salary amounts, benefits, and working conditions, among other issues. The principles of collective bargaining and unions stem from the idea that employees as a group have far greater bargaining power than individual employees attempting to negotiate with their employer. Since collective bargaining is based on collaboration, it is considered a very democratic process. Employee union members choose the issues to negotiate and vote whether to accept the contract proposed by their representatives and management. Besides compensation, many different topics can be negotiated. These issues include, among others, a fair way to evaluate employee performance, protection for those who file complaints, appropriate training, opportunities for advancement, employer accountability, and safe working conditions. In early American history, during the colonial era and in the mid-19th century, relationships between employers and those they employed were often hostile and adversarial. Sometimes these disagreements between employee and employer exploded into violent confrontations. Workers, whether skilled or unskilled, would fight with management for improved/safer working conditions, fair pay, long grueling hours by uniting and training...in the midst of a paper......with the common ideals of all fundamental human beings. rights.BibliographySloane, A. (2010). Labor relations. (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Adler, J. (nd). Collective bargaining in the United States. Retrieved from http://ipma-hr.org/sites/default/files/pdf/hrcenter/collectiveBargaining/cpr_cb_adler.pdfInvestopedia. (2014). Collective bargaining. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/collective-bargaining.asp Dunlop, J. (nd). The negotiating table. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/dol/aboutdol/history/amworkerconclusion.htmSun, L. (2014). Collective bargaining. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/article/393/collective-bargaining/Lichtenstein, N. (2014). Collective bargaining. Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/topic/collective-bargaining