This article examines how teachers unions affect teachers' well-being under various legal institutions. Using a district-teacher matched data set, this study identifies the union effects by three approaches. First, I contrast teacher outcomes across different state laws toward unions. Second, I compare the union-nonunion differentials within the…

Income taxes distort the relationship between wages and nontaxable amenities. When the marginal tax rate increases, amenities become more valuable as the compensating differential for low-amenity jobs is taxed away. While there is evidence that the provision of amenities responds to taxes, the literature has ignored the consequences for job…

When former U.S. congressman and Obama administration chief of staff Rahm Emanuel marched triumphantly into the Chicago mayor's office in 2011, he promised to revamp Chicago Public Schools (CPS) in ways that had barely been contemplated in 16 years of mayoral control over the city's sprawling public-school system. This article discusses and…

When most people think of the perks of teaching, an image that comes to mind is a shiny apple presented by a gap-toothed pupil. A recent paper by Jason Richwine of the Heritage Foundation and Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute claims that public school teachers enjoy lavish benefits that are more valuable than their base pay and…

"Managing for Results in America's Great City Schools, 2012" is presented by the Council of the Great City Schools to its members and the public. The purpose of the project was and is to develop performance measures that can improve the business operations of urban public school districts nationwide. This year's report includes data from 61 of the…

A values-centered and team-based behavioral safety process was implemented in a petroleum oil refinery. Employee teams defined the refinery's safety values and related practices, which were used to guide the process design and implementation. The process included (a) a safety assessment; (b) the clarification of safety-related values and related…

Traditionally, rehabilitation has been closely associated with vocational potential and return to work post-injury, or the maintenance of work attendance following the onset of chronic disease. Indeed, so close was the association that the terms "rehabilitation" and "vocational rehabilitation" were virtually synonymous. Over…

Pensions are an important but comparatively unexamined component of human resource policies in education. In an increasingly competitive world where employees are more mobile than ever, pension policies that were designed in the last century may be out of step with the needs of both individuals and schools. This background paper aims to foster…

One of the most important responsibilities of school business officials is protecting their school districts, employees, and students from harm and liability. Risk managers must identify any possible risks involved in facilities operation, eliminate or reduce risk, transfer risks when legally feasible, and assume nontransferable risks through a…

The ultimate cost of workers compensation is made up of loss costs (the amounts paid to injured employees to compensate for lost wages and medical bills) and administrative costs. This article concentrates on potential savings in loss costs, highlighting indemnity and medical cost drivers, the need for effective policy communication to employees,…

Adam Coolidge lives with his parents in the Riverdale Local School District, which is in rural northwestern Ohio. In spring 1996, prior to enrolling Adam in kindergarten, his parents met with district representatives to discuss moving him from an early intervention program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). His…

The extent to which college faculty may recover compensation for debilitating mental illness resulting from stressful work-related activities is discussed. General requirements for worker's compensation claims, compensability of stress-related mental and physical illnesses, applicability of these standards to college faculty, and the current state…

A social impact study in Queensland (Australia) was conducted to determine how structural adjustment packages mitigate the negative outcomes that can result from worker redundancy. The cessation of logging resulted in job layoffs that the government addressed with a Worker's Special Adjustment Package. (SLD)

Decentralized regulation has become increasingly important in many areas; examples range from school vouchers to workplace safety committees to alternative dispute resolution procedures replacing courts. Consistent with this trend, in 1993 California permitted construction unions and employers to "carve out" their own workers'…

A wide range of fringe benefit practices offered to superintendents are summarized in this report. Based on a national panel sample stratified by enrollment size, results are reported separately according to four enrollment groupings by size, per pupil expenditure, and geographic region. Data on leave policies, insurance coverage, retirement…