Glossary of National Labor Relations Board Terms

Charge--An allegation made by an individual, employer, or labor organization of an unfair labor practice under the Act. Charges are filed at NLRB's regional offices.

Complaint--If, after investigating a charge, the regional office finds merit and no settlement is reached, the Regional Director serves a complaint in the name of the Board stating the unfair labor practices and containing a notice of hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. The complaint does not constitute a finding of wrongdoing, but raises issues to be decided by the judge.

Administrative law judge--As with other federal agencies (such as the Labor Department or Social Security Administration), the NLRB has a corps of judges who conduct hearings at which the parties present evidence. These judges work for the NLRB (i.e., they are not federal district court judges). Decisions of Administrative Law Judges can be appealed to the five-member Board in Washington, D.C.

Good faith bargaining--Section 8(d) of the Act states in part: "To bargain collectively is the performance of the mutual obligation of the employer and the representative of the employees to meet at reasonable times and confer in good faith with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment, or the negotiation of an agreement or any question arising thereunder, and the execution of a written contract incorporating any agreement reached if requested by either party, but such obligation does not compel either party to agree to a proposal or require the making of a concession..."

Impasse--A deadlock in negotiating between management and officials over terms and conditions of employment. Whether and impasse in bargaining exists "is a matter of judgment," the Board said in its 1967 decision in Taft Broadcasting Co. v. AFTRA, and depends on such factors as "bargaining history, the good faith of the parties in negotiations, the length of the negotiations, the importance of the issue or issues as to which there is disagreement, and the contemporaneous understanding of the parties as to the state of negotiations."