Bargaining Agent

Union or individual certified through a secret ballot process to be the exclusive representative of all the employees in a Bargaining Unit or group; also called bargaining representative. In order for a bargaining agent to be certified, it must receive a majority of the Ballots cast in the bargaining unit.

A union that possesses the sole authority to act on behalf of all the employees of a particular type in a com- pany.

A bargaining agent is certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as the exclusive representative of a certain type of employee. The International Garment Workers Union, for example, might act as the bargaining agent for all seamstresses employed at a particular dress factory.

See: labor law; labor union.