Teachers unions have had a "muscular" presence in some states, but in others, especially in the South and Southwest, the unions have held little power in recent decades, and the growing dominance of conservative Republicans in state legislatures and statehouses was creating a hostile environment with right-to-work (RTW) laws. The…

The opinions of Laszlo Hetenyi on teacher unionism are examined in the light of the writings of William James and John Dewey. (JD)

This article discusses recent court decisions affecting the relationship between teachers' associations and unions and the public agencies that employ those teachers. Topics discussed include constitutional rights, union representation and union rights, obligation to bargain and scope of bargaining, grievances and arbitrability, fiscal…

A superintendent narrates the events preceding a strike in his district, and the steps he took to prepare for and weather the strike. (IRT)

Using the Burkean concept of identity-identification, this paper isolates the genesis of conflict between teachers' unions and the public during and after strikes. Strategies to change resentment into advocacy of the union cause by nonunion community members are offered. (Author/IRT)

Examines how teacher power manifests itself at the national level and at the local level of both the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association. (IRT)

Between February 1985 and July 1986, Great Britain experienced its most widespread, acrimonious, and traumatic teachers' dispute. The persons involved, the activities, and the agreement that ended the dispute are discussed. (MLF)

This article describes specific areas in education which have been problematic over the last 18 years and discusses ways in which the collective bargaining process was able to cope with them. (Author/EB)

Discusses organizational strength, teacher strikes, collective bargaining and negotiations, and political action as forms of teacher militancy that are linked with increasing professionalism. Concludes that teachers have been able to improve their professional status in recent years largely because of growing activism. (Author/GC)

To move education forward, the United States needs teachers willing to challenge traditional teachers' associations. Independent teachers' associations, most of which began in the 1950s, were started primarily in response to compulsory union dues, monopoly bargaining, strikes, and the union's overtly political agenda. They support local control,…

Explains Connecticut's Teacher Negotiation Act (October 1979), designed to bring about negotiated contract settlements resolving board/teacher impasses and thereby avoid strikes. Responses to the author's questionnaire of Connecticut board members, district administrators, and teachers reveal broad recognition of the law's effectiveness but doubt…

Detractors of Connecticut's Teacher Negotiation Act, who represent board members and teachers, claim the law currently takes away too much negotiating power from their respective groups. (JBM)

This second chapter of "The Yearbook of School Law, 1986" summarizes and analyzes state and federal court decisions handed down in 1985 affecting collective bargaining between staff members and management representatives in public education. Among the topics examined are constitutional issues associated with distribution of union materials, union…