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…

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND LABOR UNION STRENGTH HAVE GIVEN RISE TO TWO SERIOUS CHALLENGES FACING PRIVATE ENTERPRISE, INFLATION AND INTERFERENCE WITH MANAGERIAL AUTHORITY. IN RECENT YEARS, THE COST OF LIVING HAS AVERAGED AN INCREASE OF FOUR PERCENT PER YEAR WHILE LABOR COSTS HAVE ACHIEVED AN ANNUAL RATE OF INCREASE OF OVER SIX PERCENT. AT THE SAME…

Three persistent misconceptions about collective bargaining for public employees are 1) that public employee organizations are singularly culpable for strikes in the public sector, 2) that strikes necessarily follow collective bargaining and will not occur unless the right to bargain has been granted, and 3) that public employees have less right…

Suggests a comprehensive solution to the problem of how to prevent government employee strikes. (Author)

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)

Findings suggest that not only has the use of factfinding declined within the teacher sector of public employee bargaining, but that the decline is likely to continue. Increased teacher militancy reflects the times. (Author/MW)

Discusses common problems involved in collective bargaining for public employees and recommends a number of changes in public employee labor relations laws that can help resolve those problems. Available from: Commerce Clearing House, Inc., 4025 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60646; single copy, $3.00. (JG)

The state administrative agency in public sector labor relations acts as an impartial third party, administering legislation concerning public sector labor relations. When a dispute arises about any aspect of the labor-management relationship covered by law, the administrative agency steps in to resolve the dispute in a fair and impartial way. The…

Reviews state supreme court rulings on constitutionality issues raised by compulsory arbitration for public employees. Cases are reviewed for the states of Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Nebraska, Maine, Michigan, New York, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Washington. Concludes that courts have generally upheld the constitutionality of such…

It should be deemed an unfair practice under applicable state and local laws for an employer to make a unilateral change in the terms and conditions of employment prior to the exhaustion of post-impasse procedures, whether or not the change is consistent with employer bargaining proposals. (Author/IRT)

Presents developments in grievance arbitration in government employment by examining all public sector arbitration cases from 1971 through 1979. Predicts that issues of employee discipline and discharge will comprise the largest number of cases proceeding to arbitration. (Author/MLF)

How to measure productivity increases in service occupations is a problem that still awaits a solution. Efforts being made in the federal sector to gauge productivity growth are discussed, along with implications in private-sector bargaining. (Editor/LBH)

An unfair labor practice is the violation of any right granted employees, unions, or employers by a collective bargaining law. This guide answers common questions about unfair labor practices in public sector labor relations. The booklet is divided into two sections, unfair employer labor practices and unfair union labor practices. The section…