Recent union-supported teachers' walkouts and strikes across several U.S. states and cities highlighted union-led and grassroots efforts to amplify teachers' voices. Yet, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, "Janus v. AFSCME, Council 31," provides a strength test for teachers' unions and members engaging in social justice/equity work…

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…

Teachers' unions find themselves on the defensive in states across the country, as governors and lawmakers press forward with proposals to target job protections and benefits that elected officials contend the public can no longer afford academically or financially. Many of those efforts are being driven by newly elected Republicans, who have…

A strike last week by some 29,000 teachers in Chicago pushed long-simmering tensions over deeply divisive school improvement ideas--including changes in teacher evaluation and the takeover or closure of underperforming schools--into the national spotlight. A framework for a tentative agreement emerged last Friday, and the union's house of…

Reviews the concept of the "right" to strike, state laws allowing strikes, and court decisions establishing standards in this area. (IRT)

Outlines five approaches to the use of court injunctions to end public employee work stoppages. The current use of injunctions seriously impedes free and open collective bargaining. (Author/IRT)

Briefly describes types of binding arbitration that various states have adopted as a means of preventing teacher strikes. (IRT)

Considers the language and objectives of Minnesota law and concludes that a complete prohibition of sympathy strikes will frustrate the law's goal--minimizing public employee labor disputes by equalizing the bargaining strength of employers and employees. Available from University of Minnesota Law School, 229 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN…

Provides a brief history of the Pennsylvania Public Employee Relations Act, examining both its antecedents and the studies made of it after it was in operation for some years. (IRT)

Outlines the history of Wisconsin's Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA), details the new MERA procedures, and analyzes some of the procedure's implications for municipal labor relations. Concludes that the limitations placed on the right to strike may undermine the statute's long-term effectiveness. Journal availability: see EA 511 539.…

Findings from a study of the relationship between penalties for teacher strikes and strike deterrence demonstrate that mild and harsh penalties provide less deterrence than moderate ones. The optimal penalty for avoiding strikes was found to be the forfeiture of two days pay for each day on strike. (Author/WD)

A 1979 law enacted by the state of Connecticut in response to a lengthy and bitter teacher strike may have served as a catalyst to improve the negotiation process. The law mandated a mediation process and compulsory binding-interest arbitration. (Author/WD)

Examines Ohio's Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act from a union perspective and argues that the act has advanced the cause of "orderly and constructive relationships" between Ohio's public employers and their employees. (MLF)

Examines the impact of private labor rulings on Pennsylvania's public employee laws, public sector strikes and their implications, and Pennsylvania's public employee laws and the right to strike. Available from Duquesne Law Review, 901 Rockwell Hall, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219; sc $3.50. (Author/IRT)

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)