Reminisces about last year's educator's strike In Hawaii, the first time a strike has shut down a state's entire education system. Relishes the unity and power demonstrated by colleagues at the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, but acknowledges that there are great differences in what different sectors of the faculty--especially research…

Explains how Washington State University built a combination 160,000 square foot recreation center and student union that was entirely funded by students at a cost of $39 million. The facility's sustainable features and award-winning lighting design are described. (GR)

Discusses the trade union library system in China that has fallen on hard times amid economic and social changes of the past 20 years. Focuses on a history of the trade union library movement; services provided by trade union libraries; problems faced by union libraries; and reform of trade union libraries. (AEF)

Analysis of Industry Wage Survey data from nine manufacturing industries indicated that unionization made the gender wage gap considerably smaller in six industries. In the other three, the overall proportion of women in the industry and the characteristics of unions may contribute to the disparity. (Contains 68 references.) (SK)

Describes how teacher unions influence public-school policies through collective bargaining; local, state and national politics; and opposition to certain school-reform initiatives such as school choice. States that unions pursue policies that benefit teachers rather than students. Suggests that as school choice spreads, power of teacher unions…

The collapse of the Soviet Union had devastating consequences for the lives of its population, especially for older adults, many of whom became impoverished and were left with no social support. Using data from a survey of 2,579 elderly Jews in two of the largest countries of the former Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine, we examine variables that…

The three-story building that was once the United Teachers of New Orleans' office is dark and deserted, the first floor damaged by Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters. The union membership, which numbered 4,700 before the storm, is now down to 300. Of the 25 schools that are now open in New Orleans, only five are regular public schools. The rest are…

Using data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, we examine residential variation in cohabiting women's union outcomes. Prior work has shown that although there are no residential differences in cohabitation, nonmetro women are more likely than others to marry directly and hold more favorable attitudes toward marriage. Building on this…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Great Expectations": Parents Expect Children to Pursue Postsecondary Education but Don't Think Schools…

Can you name 20 influences on pay that could cause a difference in earnings between two ostensibly equal employees? This short, involving exercise can be used to illustrate the numerous influences that affect how employees' pay is determined, for example, education, experience required for the job, supply and demand, company size, seniority, and…

This study of teacher staffing issues in the School District of Philadelphia explores the degree to which the district has succeeded in upgrading teachers' professional credentials, recruiting and retaining them, and equitably distributing experienced and credentialed teachers across all types of schools. Since the passage of "No Child Left…

Since its election in 1997 the Labour government's policy has sought to promote a "new professionalism" amongst teachers. First mooted at the time when new performance management arrangements were introduced, the discourse of new professionalism has now become closely associated with the "workforce remodeling" agenda in which…

Involvement of employees and unions in workplace decision-making has a long history in Australian industrial relations. The mechanism for employee involvement in workplace change was originally set out in the Termination Change and Redundancy (TCR) clause in Australian awards in 1984. It continues to operate under Enterprise Bargaining Agreements…

On 28 November 2006 Russia observes the one-hundredth anniversary of Dmitrii Sergeevich Likhachev. By an edict of President V.V. Putin 2006 has been designated the year of D.S. Likhachev. A scientist of encyclopedic scope and a renowned researcher into Old Russian literature, Academician Likhachev became, starting in the second half of the 1980s,…

In this article, I have conceptualized union-management relations using an organizational justice framework. I consider organizational justice theory, including distributive, procedural, interactional, and what I call relational justice perspectives. Utilizing examples from my experience and research, I illustrate and discuss various forms of…