Identifies the advantages of employing a professional negotiator to represent boards of education in negotiations with teachers. (MLF)

A growth in organized school employee groups, particularly teacher groups, may require school boards to develop and maintain an affirmative employee relations program to identify and meet needs before they reach the crisis level and, therefore, prevent the issues from developing around which employee unions must justify their existence.…

Presents a chronological history of the conflict between the Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, teachers' union and the school board. The board hired Alternative Public Schools, Inc, to manage Turner Elementary Schools and gave the company permission to hire a new staff at Turner. The state supreme court has ruled in favor of the school district. (MLF)