In this article, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Lorretta Johnson reflects on her early work as a paraprofessional at Liberty Elementary School (Baltimore, Maryland) and what sparked her union activism nearly 50 years ago in 1966. It was that year that she and her colleagues joined the Baltimore Teachers Union…

The authors examine how the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiated between teachers' unions and districts is associated with schools' and districts' performance under accountability pressures in California. They find that CBA restrictiveness is associated with the increased likelihood that districts will be in Program Improvement (PI)…

The principle of decent work was first espoused in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since 1999 the International Labour Organisation has operated according to a Decent Work Agenda and in recent times the movement towards the provision of decent work as a means of improving the quality of life has gathered momentum. Decent work is…

This report presents accounts based on first-hand interviews conducted by Han Dongfang, China's leading labor rights advocate, with workers across China. Han Dongfang was a leader of the Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation (BWAF), an independent labor group organized during the Tiananmen Square protests. Han today carries on the fight from Hong…

The philosophy and workability of the concept of worker participation in management decisions is discussed in the context of British society. It is recommended that four interests be represented in any kind of Workers' Council: management, workers, shareholders, and consumers. (AG)

Contracts reflected worker concern over inflation and unemployment, and collective bargaining during the year was heavy, as labor-management negotiations occurred in such key industries as trucking, automobiles, electrical equipment, rubber, and meatpacking. (Editor/TA)

Reviews the resolutions and recommendations issuing from the 1980 conference of the International Labour Organisation. New standards were proposed in the areas of age and employment discrimination, workplace safety and health, collective bargaining, and safeguards for workers with family responsibilities. (SK)

Randall Eberts explores the role of teachers unions in public education. He focuses particularly on how collective bargaining agreements shape the delivery of educational services, how unions affect both student achievement and the cost of providing quality education, and how they support educational reform efforts. Eberts's synthesis of the…

Based on an analysis of oral history interviews, this paper examines the events and consciousness surrounding a 1979 strike initiated by 53 female office employees of the Wisconsin Education Association (WEA) Insurance Trust. Faced with sex-discriminatory working conditions, the women at the Trust responded by initiating a strike. For many of the…

Investigates railroad union members strong preferences for collective bargaining in dealing with traditional union concerns and joint union-management efforts when quality of worklife issues are involved. Attitudinal measures were generally found to be more important in explaining members' preferences than demographic or union participation…

This report presents findings of a commission that held hearings and examined quantitative and qualitative evidence on the current state of worker-management relations in the United States. Chapter I identifies those facts about the changing economic and social environment that bear directly on the mission statement of the commission (to ensure…

This paper examines labor issues that affect school employees. It is divided into four sections: school reform; teacher compensation; scope of bargaining; and collaborative (nonadversarial) bargaining. The longest section, which focuses on various reform movements in the schools, examines accountability, school choice, and the questions…

Based on the findings of the Management Employee Relations in Corrections (MERIC) project, this management guide for correctional administrators is designed to facilitate enlightened and responsible management within the context of public sector labor relations. The introduction to the guide describes the MERIC study and discusses trends in state…

This is the first part of a study directed at supplying information about labor relations in the construction industry in Ontario. Presented in tables by occupations are data pertaining to: (1) straight time hourly wage rates, (2) employee payments for vacations and other fringe benefits, (3) daily and weekly hours paid at straight time rates, (4)…