After nearly 40 years of policy changes since "A Nation at Risk," often without or over the voices of teachers, it seemed that society was on the way to embracing the idea that teachers were interchangeable, over compensated, and largely unnecessary to the process of education. Supreme Court decisions, such as Janus vs. American…

Qualified teachers are the backbone of K-12 education. Unfortunately, fewer teachers are enrolling in teacher education programs and new teachers are quitting the profession at an alarming rate. This has placed a burden on school districts to implement out-of-the box measures to fill vacant slots. Such measures include offering provisional…

Discusses the process by which one school district avoided teacher strikes or dissension by using a style of negotiation based on trust and cooperation. Lists the 10 main features of this negotiation style and provides additional advice based on this experience. (HB)

Critiques the referendum model for impasse resolution in collective bargaining disputes from a union perspective. Outlines problems including the length of time a dispute could be extended by the process, and the loss of confidentiality in the mediation process. (MD)

Examines "Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson," a United States Supreme Court decision guaranteeing non-union government workers specific protections of procedural due process that certain educational and teacher unions had failed to recognize. Decries the "Hudson" decision for separating labor law from laws governing the rest of…

Describes Pasco (Washington) School District's resolution of a recent negotiation impasse in their normal "win/win" collective bargaining process. The key was to reestablish the trust, patience, and willingness to listen that had eroded over the years as new participants replaced old hands in the nonadversarial bargaining process. (MLH)

Considers the fallacies behind the following common school-board negotiating practices: attaining labor harmony through collective bargaining, never rescinding once-granted benefits, refusing to grant a demand for fear of escalating demands, and gaining teacher gratitude and reduced tensions through board generosity. (JW)

Reviews Supreme Court decision in "Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson." The court found the union procedure defective for three reasons. After "Hudson," procedures must be established to provide nonunion members adequate explanation of fee basis, prompt opportunity for challenge, and escrow accounts to hold disputed amounts…

Outlines a discussion between Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Wes Apker, executive director of the Association of California School Administrators, that centered on the status of collective bargaining in the schools. (MD)

Offers guidelines for productive negotiation between management and workers, including a role-play exercise designed to improve negotiation skills. (Author/WD)

The political trend toward holding down the labor costs associated with public education continues unabated. Until elected officials are prepared to fund the high cost of quality education--including improving instructional wages and benefits in a significant way--dissatisfaction and frustration will continue to plague the bargaining process for…

Provides excerpts from the six-part history of the United Federation of Teachers, New York City to show that most of the day-to-day rights and dignities teachers now take for granted once had to be wrested from a reluctant and uncooperative system. Suggests that the struggle to maintain these rights is continuing. (GR)

In December 1994, San Diego City Schools' (California) Board of Education voted to discontinue competitive contracting for busing and expand its in-house transportation department, believing the new arrangement would save money. This report argues that the decision was based on a flawed financial analysis prepared by the district's in-house…

Although school districts can expect an increase in grievances filed by their local unions, new methods of resolution are available including grievance mediation where school and union officials undertake informal discussion to reach a compromise position, and involving principals in the input evaluation of contractual clauses. (MLF)

Offers a solution based on bargaining, mediation, and binding arbitration that allows teachers' input in developing work environments without producing disagreements which stop work. Stresses penalties for strikes. Suggests method of paying for bargaining process designed to insure that both parties will be realistic in their demands. (NEC)