“Not only is the employer free after impasse to implement changes already offered to the union, but either party is free after impasse to decline to negotiate further. Since impasse signifies that the parties have exhausted (at least temporarily) the avenues of bargaining, termination of bargaining at that point cannot be thought to demonstrate a cast of mind against reaching agreement.” Robert A. Gorman, Basic Text on Labor Law: Unionization and Collective Bargaining 447 (1976).
impasse
impasse (im-pas). A point in labor negotiations at which agreement cannot be reached. • A neutral third party (such as a mediator) is often called in to help resolve an impasse.
