Parallel Bargaining Law and Legal Definition

Parallel bargaining is bargaining in which unions negotiate provisions covering wages and other benefits that are similar to those provided in other agreements within the industry or region. It is also called pattern bargaining.

In parallel or pattern bargaining, a union determines a sequence for negotiations with firms within an industry where the agreement with the first firm becomes the take-it-or-leave-it offer by the union for all subsequent negotiations. For example, a union might target company, push hard for the best contract it could get and declare the new terms to be the "pattern." If the other companies in that industry didn't follow suit, labor unrest would likely follow.