Union-management relationships have been filled with fear since the rise of capitalism; public education is no different. Workers fear exploitation by owners (profits depend on it) and capitalist/management has always worried that the working classes will organize and either take over the firm or strike and bring production to a screeching halt.…

When floodwater swept through the McVities biscuit factory in Carlisle in January 2005 few were confident that it would reopen. The factory, in the Caldewgate area of the city, was one of the first casualties of the flood, as water, nine feet deep in places, coursed trough the food preparation areas, destroying equipment and covering everything in…

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed last September 2006 to take up the issue of when a teachers' union may spend the money it collects in the form of "agency fees" from nonmembers on political causes. The justices said they would review a Washington state law that requires nonmembers to "affirmatively consent," or opt in, before a…

In response to Mr. Ayers and Mr. Klonsky, Mr. Duncan argues that Chicago's Renaissance 2010 initiative is holding adults accountable by closing low-performing schools rather than trapping children in a failing educational environment.

Australia once enjoyed the highest union density in the world but is now facing a "crisis of membership". Trade union membership and density have been in decline in Australia since the late 1970s with a 50 percent decrease in density since 1990. The Australian Bureau of Statistics currently puts trade union density at around 25 percent…

As the most unionized segment of the public sector workforce in the USA, teachers and their bargaining representatives wield significant power in the world of educational labour relations and beyond. Yet, just as the First Amendment's freedom of association clause affords unions the right to exist, its concomitant recognition that employees are…

When the nation's largest teachers' union convenes in Los Angeles for its annual meeting, the membership news will ring happier than in 2004. Then, the National Education Association's count of active-teacher members was down for the first time in 18 years, according to union officials. But over the past year, that number has grown by about…

Describes how, after a stint as an adjunct professor that made her feel "powerless," Linda Cushing went from union foe to labor activist. (EV)

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…

A community services counseling project was provided through a program for assisting unemployed union and non-union workers. At least 25 local unions in Middlesex County, New Jersey, participated in the effort. Thirty unemployed workers were screened and given an intensive training course in personal skills development, the role of the union…

Reports on a project undertaken by members of the Finnish Paperworkers' Union to record the history of their union. Members organized themselves into 40 study circles, with each circle tackling a different aspect of the history. Support was provided by the union historian. (CH)

This report presents five case studies which provide a comprehensive description of the programs and services available to union retirees in different communities. The five communities reflect a diversity of geographical locations, economic base, occupational structure, and unions represented. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Miami, Florida;…

Labor unions in the U.S.S.R.--having emerged in Russia about 100 years after U.S. labor unions and been called by Lenin the "shock troops of the revolution"--do not much resemble their U.S. counterparts. Union members, including factory managers, constitute 99.3 percent of the work force, and place of employment or profession determines…

Describes a model for delivering stress education programs to union members. Steps include (1) providing an understanding of stress, (2) examining clinical effects of stress, (3) reviewing coping techniques, and (4) linking the first three steps in order to develop a plan for dealing with stress. (CH)

This salary survey of special libraries throughout New York State presents earnings for librarians and associated personnel employed by corporate, academic, government agency, public, and other institutions as of January 1979. Most chief librarians earn between $15,000 and $24,999 while the range for all others falls between $10,000 and $19,999.…