Ever wonder why union members' salary and benefits, workload agreements, and other aspects of their collective bargaining agreements, or "contracts," often remain unchanged and enforced during the all-too-common periods when public employees labor without a contract? In New York, the answer boils down to an understanding of the Public…

Over the course of the 1980s and 1990s, the contours of neoliberalism took shape, as individual corporations implemented new strategies seeking to shift the frontier of control in their favor and increase their profits. Their actions began to shape the political and economic practices of both major political parties, and the orientation of…

Of all the recent budget cuts made by the Eagle County, Colorado, school district--the loss of 89 staff jobs through attrition and layoffs, a 1.5 percent across-the-board pay cut, and the introduction of three furlough days--none sparked as much anger or faced the same scrutiny as the decision to cut three foreign-language teaching positions and…

Research on social movements and public policy has expanded tremendously in recent years, yet little of this work considers the role of movement opponents in the political process or how the movement-countermovement dynamic is influential in contests over policy. This historical study begins to fill this void by analyzing the contestation between…

Critiques Samuel Bacharach and Edward Lawler's theory of argument in bargaining. Concludes that although their theory does not sufficiently account for argument as process or as point of view, their ideas represent a viable starting point for understanding and investigating the nature of argument in dispute resolution. (MM)

Fact finders should be called on the scene only when an impasse results in a disagreement over facts. Nevertheless, mediators typically recommend fact-finding regardless of the nature of the impasse. Such a move typically exacerbates the controversy instead of settling it. (Author/IRT)

Reasons for the failure of a teachers' strike are analyzed. (JD)

Discusses the history of silk production from its beginnings in China. Concentrates on the development of the industry in Lyon, France, and the uprising of silk weavers in 1831 and 1834. (JOW)

Explains the history and functions of labor arbitration. Focuses on the limitations placed on the arbitrator and emphasizes the difference between deciding and compromising on a suit. Includes anecdotes from the experience of the author, a prominent arbitrator. (KH)

Examination of arbitration decisions in Wisconsin teacher wage disputes, 1977-86, found that wage increases agreed to earlier by comparable school districts had a substantial impact on the arbitrators' decisions. (SK)

Recounts the experiences of two substitute teachers who crossed a picket line during a teacher strike in a school district of a small western town. Considers the long-term effects and outcomes of teacher strikes. Questions the feasibility of teacher strikes. (HB)

The five issues presented here are keys to understanding how collective bargaining affects colleges and universities. (MM)

Explores the circumstances under which public employers may take action on employment-related matters without bargaining agent assent in those instances in which a contract has terminated or negotiations have reached an impasse. (Author/IRT)

Outlines circumstances under which it would be advantageous for a school board to initiate an unfair labor practice suit against the teachers' union. (IRT)

Confirms the debilitating effects of accountability on bargaining. Finds that (1) when accountable, bargainers with authority strayed further from group's position but deviated less on their final offer; (2) delegated authority significantly reduced the number of deadlocks; and (3) high self monitors strayed less from group's position but deviated…