In the last four years, teacher-activists in the United States have engaged in an unprecedented wave of protests and strikes. The developing body of literature seeking to understand this flurry of activity has taken various analytical approaches; for example, distilling movements into their key tactics in the hopes of lending important tools to…

In 2002, approximately two thirds of school teachers in the Canadian province of Alberta went on strike. Drawing on media, government and union documents, this case study reveals some contours of the political economy of labor relations in education that are normally hidden from view. Among these features are that the state can react to worker…

Presents an analysis of the forces motivating the union and the board of education in the 1979 Washington, D.C. teachers' strike. (IRT)

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

In the public school governance structure that evolved between 1900 and 1920, schools were removed from the world of politics, authority was concentrated at the top of the hierarchy, and boards of education were reorganized, resulting in less participation by working-class people. Teachers had little power. Teacher political activities after this…

Boards are effectively countering teacher strikes and threats of teacher strikes. (IRT)

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)

Since collective bargaining in public education is here to stay, boards of education should learn to accept it for what it is--an adversary process. The author contends that striking is not a very viable weapon in the arsenal of the teachers' union because the schools will continue to operate, and public pressure against prolonged strikes and…

Trends toward greater teacher unionization will increase in the 1980s, as teachers react to economic pressures springing from school closures, declining enrollments, and attempts to fund private schools with public taxes. Educational unions will become more politically active, to protect teachers' union and civil rights. (RW)

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)

The author sees cause for concern in the number of complaints to the International Labour Organisation alleging violations of teachers' union rights. She examines the right of public employees to organize and strike and government interference, concluding that greater protection for teachers' unions may be needed. (SK)

Sheds light on labor relations in Australia through an examination of its governance of education, Australian teachers and unions, the history of compulsory arbitration, some contrasts between compulsory arbitration and collective bargaining, some contemplated changes in the governance of education in Australia, and some speculation about the…

In many ways, 1976-1977 was a traditional year in labor relations in education. For the most part, traditional bargaining issues prevailed--wages and fringes, especially leave issues; tenure, seniority, and retirement; teacher workload and class assignments; union dues; and academic freedom and constitutional rights. The two major teacher…