America's labor market presents a paradox. Although the unemployment rate is just 3.9%, there are more jobs open than people who can fill them. Nationwide, there are roughly 68 workers for every 100 open jobs. Many factors contribute to this workforce shortage, but one of the most significant is a growing skills gap -- millions of workers across…

In late 2020, Indiana's Ivy Tech Community College participated in a national study of community college workforce education. Indiana was one of 14 states where education authorities encouraged colleges to respond early enough in 2020 to receive preliminary statewide results in January 2021. This brief compares Indiana to the 14 states in this…

Restrictions on collective bargaining are spreading. But while reformers are right to question current labor practices in education, they're wrong to believe that bargaining prohibitions will solve the problems. A smarter approach would begin by putting down the sledgehammer wielded in Wisconsin and picking up a scalpel by pushing for laws aimed…

On February 1, 2012, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed a "right to work" (RTW) provision in the state's labor laws, making Indiana the 23rd RTW state in the nation. In addition to becoming the 23rd RTW state in the nation, Indiana is the first in more than a decade to pass a law undermining the ability of unions to organize and…

This glossary is designed for practitioners who have no special preparation in public sector labor relations but who must know its vocabulary because of their growing involvement in the field. For those practitioners whose jurisdictions lie within the six midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, the names…

This article introduces the findings of four separate research studies, which focus on aspects of collective bargaining in Indiana for the three years since the enactment of Public Law 217, 1974-76. (MM)

This study was designed to examine one alternative to collective bargaining available to the school governing body--the employment of an external professional to represent the school board in contract negotiations with the teachers' representatives. (MM)

The intent of this investigation was to determine if and to what extent collective bargaining has influenced attainment of salary and economic benefits such as teacher salary, insurance premiums, and sick leave. (MM)

This paper provides a brief overview of collective bargaining in public education in Indiana in 1975, the second year that school boards and teachers operated under a collective bargaining law. The authors analyze major factors and apparent trends related to bargaining and impasse issues, mediation and fact-finding practices, teacher strikes, and…

In the face of a high degree of legislative activity concerning public sector labor relations in the Midwest, this guide was prepared to familiarize practitioners with such legislation enacted as of May 1, 1975, in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. This legislation concerns state employees, fire fighters, municipal…

The formation of local workforce investment boards (WIBs) was examined through case studies of two sites in Indiana and two in Kentucky. The four sites had very different labor market conditions, contexts, and One Stop histories that affected their formation of local WIBs and selection of One Stop operators. The boards surveyed ranged in size from…