This series of questions and answers is intended to educate public sector labor relations practitioners about the process of collective bargaining. It describes fundamental concepts of the bargaining process itself such as scope of bargaining and good faith bargaining. It gives detailed instuctions on how to best prepare for collective bargaining…

A review of good faith requirements under meet and confer laws for public sector negotiations raises implications for school district management decisions regarding negotiations. First, it appears that state courts are being influenced by National Labor Relations Board and federal court rulings that pertain to the private sector, causing private…

This guide contains practical, field-tested advice concerning the development of a suitable negotiating strategy for management's use in public sector collective bargaining. The author stresses that strategies are long-term plans of action and that this book does not consider bargaining tactics--the individual methods used to achieve the strategic…

Argues that collective bargaining in the public sector poses insuperable obstacles to educational reform because of the combined effects of the time required for bargaining and mediation and the vested interests of teachers' unions in maintaining the status quo. Reform proposals have thus far failed to take account of the dynamics of collective…

This comprehensive guide to the procedures and techniques of collective bargaining contains information on all phases of negotiations: the process, the players, preparation, face-to-face bargaining, impasse resolution procedures, and contract administration. It is predicated on the view that school board members and administrators should master…

These papers are organized around the theme that labor unions in the United States, having suffered a precipitous decline in membership and influence, must reassess their past practices and strategies and seek new methods and solutions. Following an introduction by Wei-Chiao Huang, the document includes "Bargaining Realities: Responding to a…

Reviewed in this chapter are decisions handed down in 1982 involving aspects of collective bargaining. Much of this litigation is perceived as rooted in attempts by school boards to upset awards of arbitrators or by efforts of employees' associations to consolidate dearly-won power; these actions result from many boards' and associations'…

In this report on decisions made by federal and state courts during 1983 concerning collective bargaining in public elementary and secondary education, it is noted that the number of cases rose substantially from 1982. The standards according to which these cases are determined are relatively well developed and stable, but are resistant to…

This handbook is a guide to the collective bargaining process for school board members. It emphasizes the need for school boards to take the initiative in setting goals, reducing the potential for friction, and preserving management prerogatives against the competing responsibility to bargain in good faith under the law. Chapter 1 describes the…

As an aid to New Jersey school board members, administrators, and attorneys without extensive labor law training, this revised edition of a handbook on the New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act sets out school boards' basic obligations and rights under the law in light of changes brought about by recent agency and court cases. Its six…

Despite differences among state laws authorizing collective bargaining, and despite the variety of administrative and legal structures that enforce collective bargaining rights and obligations, a considerable degree of consensus has evolved throughout the states. Accordingly, this chapter highlights the major features of the law with respect to…

Collective bargaining relationships in school districts are affected by court actions in a variety of ways. Courts have acted as a "surrogate legislature" by providing legal structures where legislation is absent and by modifying legislation through the process of statutory construction. This paper examines the courts' role in structuring…

This chapter of "Principles of School Business Management" looks at the law affecting collective bargaining by public employees (with particular emphasis on the schools), reviews the methods used to resolve disputes before and after agreements are signed, and considers the responses that management can make to issues raised during negotiation. The…

Although Illinois has not enacted a comprehensive bargaining statute, school districts have been using the collective bargaining process to determine teacher salaries, benefits, and conditions of employment for more than a decade. Nevertheless, since the 1977-78 school year, Illinois public schools have experienced 139 teacher strikes. The purpose…

The responses of over 700 members of the American Association of School Administrators to a survey investigating the status of collective bargaining in today's elementary and secondary school systems served as the basis for this report. Questions were asked concerning all aspects of collective bargaining (from the administrative perspective),…