Problems that plague the National Labor Relations Board and threaten both its effectiveness and its existence include loss of worker and union confidence, declining union membership, criticism of board decisions, accusations of politicization, current member vacancies, and inefficiency in meeting the case load. (MSE)

Public employers, including school districts, are faced with unionized workers' demanding a larger share of public resources. The formation of regional bargaining associations for employers to counteract union demands is proposed. A case study of a successful association is provided. (MD)

This bibliography reviews the current (1995-1997) research and literature concerned with collective bargaining in higher education and the professions. The bibliography is based on computer searches of various databases and manual retrieval of citations. Sources include books, monographs, dissertations, journals, periodicals, research papers,…

Teaching contains elements of four different types of work--labor, crafts, professional, and artistic. Unionization has encouraged the tendency to define teaching as labor, because teachers' work is more preplanned and closely supervised. Policy options that might alter the nature of teaching are considered. (PP)

An overview of recent court decisions on prayer in public schools is followed by brief synopses of cases in nine areas concerning primary and secondary levels and four areas concerning higher education. Finally, law review articles on federal and state issues are summarized. (MD)

Describes the use of participative action research to solve problems of work-related employee injuries in a rural midwestern electronics plant by increasing employee involvement. The researchers established an employee problem-solving group that interviewed and surveyed workers, analyzed the results, and suggested new work arrangements. (Author/RW)

Discusses a U.S. Supreme Court decision involving public employers'"mixed motives" in discharging employees for constitutionally protected and unprotected reasons. Describes the Court's test to distinguish which reason was the dominant factor. (RW)

Discusses issues and ideas which are relevant to recurrent education for employment and industrial relations in Australia. Stresses the need to develop appropriate learning opportunities for people involved in collective bargaining, to modernize educational facilities so that they can effectively train adults, and to develop noninstitutional…

Iowa's four-year experience with "tri-offer" final offer arbitration in teacher-school board negotiations--in which an arbitrator chooses among the teachers', the board's, and the factfinder's offers--shows that the process encourages voluntary settlements but does not keep the two sides from taking unrealistic bargaining positions. (RW)

Discusses various elements of industrial relations research: general directions for research; outcomes and effects of bargaining; determination of wages and economic benefits; nonmonetary bargaining; improving labor-management relations; grievance procedures and arbitration; public sector labor-management relations; policy formation and…

Expertise in the labor relations field is seen as necessary for any college or university engaged in collective bargaining. Three choices are considered: hiring the expert, retaining an outside consultant, or training the in-house specialist. Management, it is suggested, must maintain the power balance by meeting expertise with expertise.…

Examined are the status of, and potential for, university-industry research partnerships in science and engineering to enhance basic research and stimulate industrial innovation. The current and prospective roles of the federal government in stimulating such relationships are reviewed and discussed. (Author/CS)

Proposes using an employee relations index (ERI) to measure factors affecting employee relations and job performance ability. Examines five of ten major ERI factors: attenance, turnover, safety, grievances/complaints, and motor vehicle accidents. Discusses weighing the factors and interpreting the outcome. (CSS)

Abstracts a number of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publications. For example, reviews seven current employment analysis documents, one employment structure and trends document, and one wages and industrial relations document. Provides other reference sources. Describes five types of BLS surveys on straight-time earnings and establishment…

The experiences of a company that employed industrial psychologists are discussed with specific reference to the psychologists' involvement in placement and recruiting. Industrial psychology that uses a humanistic approach is viewed as beneficial for both employer and employee. (BH)