Examines examples of pure cases of self-management, considers recent experiments by large capitalist firms in which management has delegated a share of authority to workers, and looks at the question of whether such experiments may move the country slowly toward more fully self-managed institutions in the future. (Author)

The issue contains the second group of four studies exploring current relations between trade unions and political parties in Western Europe; all eight studies were originally prepared for a 1973 symposium at Cornell University. In an overview of the studies, the author cites a widening gap between unions and parties. (Author/AJ)

France's three major trade union federations, which do not encompass all organized French workers, espouse quite different styles of relations with political parties. The author relates these to the three main traditions of French trade-unionism: the communist-leninist, the social democratic, and the syndicalist models, but finds them changing.…

In Italy, the tensions of the past decade have attenuated the divisions between the rival labor movements, the political system remains highly fragmented, but the trade unions are increasingly engaged in joint industrial and political activities. Their cooperation may even result eventually in the unification of the major labor federations.…

The balance of power inside the dominant socialist and Catholic blocs in Belgium, which were once incontestably led by the political elites, has been shifting toward the trade unions. Regionalism has fragmented the political system far more than the industrial relations system; the unions' political influence will continue in importance. (Author)

The postwar realignment of union-party relations in Switzerland severed old formal ties but left some important links undisturbed; practical and effective cooperation on legislative items supports current informal union-party alliances. Major current problems include the unions' demand for codetermination in industry and the huge numbers of…

A discussion is provided of the Fashion Institute of Technology's (FIT's) new faculty contract and its implications for the college. First, the paper traces the history of union-management negotiations. After looking at the bitter relationship that restricted faculty growth, development, and morale in the 1970s, the paper describes the…

This document on the links between the world of work and the world of vocational training in the Netherlands includes 5 chapters, a list of abbreviations, and a 42-item reference list. Chapter 1 introduces the report. Chapter 2 outlines the Dutch system of industrial relations and presents the concept of "neocorporatism." Chapter 3…

A study sought to explain why unions fail to obtain contracts 25-30 percent of the time, even after winning the right to negotiate contracts in secret ballot elections. Data were collected from union representatives and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) records pertaining to a sample of 135 Indiana cases and a sample of 140 cases nationwide…

This report summarizes the experiences of the Massachusetts Quality of Working Life Center in assisting the attempted and actual start-up of a number of quality of work life (QWL) programs in 1976 and 1977 and in providing ongoing assistance. Lessons learned by the three sites the center launched, other sites, as well as those sites that chose not…

A combination of crises and innovative attempts to manage them that began in 1980 transformed the relationship between Xerox Corporation and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, which represents most of Xerox's manufacturing employees. Eight pivotal episodes were largely responsible for the transformation. The first was a joint…

Four paradigms of labor-management relations are found in American small schools: paternalism, collective bargaining, collegial problem solving, and community problem solving. Examination of the conditions under which each is likely to exist and their unique characteristics, reveals the circumstance which will enhance the effectiveness of each.…

This paper provides general guidelines for psychiatric mental health workers who work with children and adolescents in a residential treatment center. Twenty-four questions commonly asked by therapists in these situations are posed and answers are discussed for each question. Topics covered include why some patients appear perfectly normal, the…

Reviews current case law alerting public institutions as well as those covered under the National Labor Relations Act to consequences and problems of faculty unionization, including issues of conflict between the faculty senate and a union, exclusive representation, supervisory status of faculty members, and scope of negotiation issues. (JT)