Presents developments in grievance arbitration in government employment by examining all public sector arbitration cases from 1971 through 1979. Predicts that issues of employee discipline and discharge will comprise the largest number of cases proceeding to arbitration. (Author/MLF)

Considers rulings by more than 15 state supreme courts in which state legislation permitting public sector bargaining and arbitration was found to be constitutional. Denounces judicial approval of this legislation, arguing that the laws oppose Lockian traditions of constitutional representative government and are a threat to democracy. (PGD)

As part of an incentives plan, Davidson Louisiana, Inc., a building products distributor, conducts a unique employee physical fitness program in which the participants are rewarded with credit toward expense paid vacations around the world. (JN)

Studied relationships between boredom at work, personal characteristics, and performance in a sample of truck drivers. Results suggest that boredom was associated negatively with higher mental and physical individual capacity and negatively associated with effectiveness. The relationship between boredom and work effectiveness was significantly…

The authors question the furor over declining reading scores, since their study of the daily reading materials of white collar, skilled labor, unskilled labor, and retail personnel indicated little need for these job holders to function at more than a sixth-grade reading level. (Editor/SJL)

Examined the moderating effect of sex on the contribution of specific job characteristics as sources of general job satisfaction. A survey of over 2,000 public employees showed only minimal sex differences. Supervision was more important to females. Females also tended to be more satisfied with their salaries. (JAC)

Litigation shows a trend toward judicial support of continuing residency requirements for teachers and other public employees. Collective bargaining may turn out to be the major arena for the final battle on the issue. (Author/MLF)

Presents a role perception model of goal setting content and leader initiating structure to examine their effectiveness as strategies to reduce role stress and to increase employee satisfaction. Results indicated that both goal setting content and leader initiating structure are related to employee satisfaction. (Author)

Describes a model for communication training in bargaining and negotiation skills. The model was designed for enforcement officers who collect delinquent taxes but can be adapted for clients in other public and private organizations. (PD)

The best sources of information on energy are the officials of the government agencies in the energy field, the editors of trade and trade and professional journals, and specialists working on energy issues. A selected list of such officials is given. (Author/MLW)

Outlines a strategy for examining the effect of environmentally induced change on organizational behavior. Predicts that organizations will accede to demands to hire more women and minorities but will channel them into positions that are thought to confer the least cost and the greatest benefit on the organization. (Author/IRT)

Describes current directions of research on organizational entry and their limitations. Presents a new perspective that identifies key features of a newcomer's entry experiences (including surprise, contrast, and change), and describes the sense-making processes by which individuals cope with their entry experiences. (Author/IRT)

Presents evidence that a trade-off exists between wages and certain characteristics of retirement systems in the public sector. Concludes that pension reform legislation in the public sector will likely have an impact on public sector wages and, therefore, careful consideration should be given to the design of such legislation. (Author/CT)

The experienced meaningfulness of jobs is the single most important contributor to a sense of competence for employees in both cultures. Because sense of competence has been highly correlated to job performance and the quality of work life, this finding has practical implications for organizations. (Author)

Reviews the 12-year history of negotiations concerning governance in institutions of higher education in New York since passage of the Taylor Law. (IRT)