This article examines the legal and political significance of teacher unionization in rural and suburban school districts between 1960 and 1975. While most historians focus on the growth of unions in urban areas, strikes in outlying districts played a determinative role in the development of public sector labor law, particularly in the arbitration…

The academic year began with a bang last fall at the University of California (UC). A series of bangs, actually, featuring a united front of students, staff, and faculty in a coordinated series of walkouts and strikes across the system's ten campuses. The target of their outrage was a series of draconian layoffs, wage cuts, and drastic tuition…

The Mexican agricultural strike activity from 1928 to 1934 in Imperial Valley and Los Angeles is examined. (NQ)

This publication offers guidance to school-board members, superintendents, and district staff in the planning, implementation, and rebuilding phases of a faculty or staff strike. It is intended to be used before a strike is imminent so that a strike plan can be implemented and the effects during and after a strike can be mitigated. The handbook…

EARLY ATTEMPTS DURING THE 20TH CENTURY TO ORGANIZE FARM WORKERS, TO GAIN WAGE INCREASES, AND TO SECURE EMPLOYER RECOGNITION OF A UNION AS THE WORKERS' AGENT FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FAILED. AN ESTIMATED 380 AGRICULTURAL STRIKES INVOLVED OVER 200,000 WORKERS IN 33 STATES BETWEEN 1930 AND 1948. THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT, ENACTED AS A RESULT…

An astounding construction feat of Chinese Americans was the work done on the western section of the transcontinental railroad. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new line took place in Sacramento in 1863, but up until 1865, less than 50 miles of running track had been laid, and this was over relatively level land. The construction superintendent…

The right to strike should be granted to public school teachers. If proper mediation procedures are mandated, the strike weapon would be used only as a last resort to collective bargaining. Available from Southwestern University School of Law, 675 South Westmoreland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90005. (Author)

Based on recent bitter experience, this article tells districts how to prepare for a teacher strike. Administrators should assess their public relations program and the strength of their board, know their adversary (the union) and the bargaining process, asssess the management team, and plan strategically. (MLH)

"Education Matters" is the monthly newsletter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), an organization dedicated to advancing the American teaching profession through personal growth, professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. This issue of the newsletter includes: (1) Helping New Teachers Succeed: Louisiana…

The author's study reveals that collective bargaining constitutes a costly example of the liberal tendency to ignore the costs of procedural rights. Those who benefit from collective bargaining and its attendant strife include state labor relations agencies, labor attorneys, fact finders, and the mass media. (Author/WD)

The discussion in this report focuses on the state-level structures and processes for the administration of teacher bargaining in four very different states: New York, Minnesota, California, and Kansas. Sections on each state are based on interviews with personnel in state labor relations agencies or boards. Each state's structure is described and…

This collection of articles revolves around the struggle for full racial equality through community control of schools by the black and Puerto Rican people of New York City. The opening chapter describes the city Board of Education's deliberate policy of intensifying and consolidating segregation during the very years when it was most volubly…

The purpose of this report is to better determine the level of general public trust in public higher education and the content of published articles in the press that may influence and reflect public confidence. By conducting a six-month media scan of four California newspapers, an overview is provided of the key concerns and issues facing higher…

The purpose of this handbook is to give both new and veteran California school board members a guide to the process of collective bargaining. In general, the board's role in collective bargaining is defined as including developing goals, selecting the board's representative, developing parameters, maintaining communications with the public,…

Based on oral histories and archival documents, this book reconstructs the unwritten history of the Mexican-origin community of Santa Paula, California. This previously unwritten history contrasts sharply with the official version, which focuses on Anglo American accomplishments and excludes the area's earliest settlers and longest…