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…

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)

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)

The status of unionism among librarians in public and academic libraries, with emphasis on the years 1972 to 1975, is the subject of a report based on a search of the literature. The first section gives an indication of the frequency and mood of comment in the current professional literature. There follows a brief summary of library union…

In spite of its colorful history of labor organizing efforts, Illinois has been slow to respond to conditions in higher education that have led to academic collective bargaining nationally. The time has arrived for Illinois leadership to recognize the symptoms and to respond to the issues before higher education is swept into retaliatory…

COLLECTIVE NEGOTIATION BY MAJOR PERSONNEL IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS IS DISCUSSED PRIMARILY FROM THE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT'S VIEWPOINT. SINCE WORLD WAR II, SCHOOL STAFFS HAVE INCREASINGLY DEMANDED A CHANGE IN THE HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HORIZONTAL CONCEPT OF EDUCATIONAL AUTHORITY. THIS DEMAND IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE INCREASING…

Two bills considered by the 81st General Assembly of the State of Illinois could provide access to collective bargaining for public employees. House Bill 808 provides these rights to employees in public and higher education, and House Bill 1178 requires collective bargaining for police officers in units of local government with populations under…

The fact that public employees do not have particular rights accorded private employees may not be inequity if public employees enjoy benefits not shared by private employees. Public employees' political influence on public sector bargaining is probably the most important difference between the two sectors. Political activity pays the teacher…

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IS BEING USED INCREASINGLY TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS OF PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYMENT. THIS DEVELOPMENT, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION, IS MARKED AT BOTH STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS BY COMPETITION BETWEEN UNIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS FOR DOMINANCE IN THE BARGAINING PROCESS ON BEHALF OF TEACHERS. THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NEA) IS…

The annual special report on teachers and labor relations for the 1979-80 academic year discusses teacher organizing, collective bargaining and negotiations, contract settlements, strikes, economic issues, legal developments, and state legislative activities. A table of court cases relating to labor relations in education is also included.…

Several important issues relating to teachers and labor relations stood out in 1977-78. By the end of the year, a proposed merger between the two major teacher unions appeared remote. The National Education Association (NEA) added 100,000 members in 1977. The NEA lobbied in favor of legislation creating a separate Department of Education but the…

PROBLEMS OF THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL'S ROLE AS THE MIDDLEMAN IN COLLECTIVE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN SCHOOL BOARDS AND TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE NEW RELATIONSHIP OF TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS. THE PRINCIPAL IS VIEWED AS THE ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBLE DECISIONMAKER ON QUESTIONS OF ADMINISTRATION…