In "Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31", the U.S. Supreme Court ended the practice of enabling public-sector unions to collect "fair-share" or "agency" fees from employees who decline to join. Although federal law prohibits requiring workers to join a union as a…

This year, labor unions got a reprieve: The Supreme Court deadlocked in a much-anticipated case that could have turned almost every state into Wisconsin, where partisan interests have crippled union power. The case, "Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association," addressed a previous case, "Abood v. Detroit Board of…

This paper studies teacher attrition in Wisconsin following Act 10, a policy change which severely weakened teachers' unions and capped wage growth for teachers. I document a sharp increase in turnover after the Act was passed, driven almost entirely by the exit of older teachers, who faced strong incentives to retire before the end of…

Restrictions on collective bargaining are spreading. But while reformers are right to question current labor practices in education, they're wrong to believe that bargaining prohibitions will solve the problems. A smarter approach would begin by putting down the sledgehammer wielded in Wisconsin and picking up a scalpel by pushing for laws aimed…

As policy makers have placed an increasing focus on training and preparing workers to obtain postsecondary credentials, questions remain about the value to various actors, especially for job seekers and workers who often invest time and money to obtain a credential with the hopes of improving their employment prospects and raising their earnings.…

Besieged by state proposals to eviscerate collective bargaining, eliminate teacher tenure, and make it harder to collect dues, teachers' unions are fighting back. Lawsuits supported by local union affiliates have for now blocked anti-union legislation in Alabama and Wisconsin. E-mail "blasts," phone banks, and rallies are also among the…

Gov. Scott Walker's sweeping proposal to scale back collective bargaining rights for most public employees in Wisconsin has sparked a rancorous standoff with teachers across the state--and fueled speculation about whether similar plans will gain traction in other parts of the country. But as massive demonstrations played out in Madison--an…

Massive protests have been the norm in Wisconsin, since Gov. Scott Walker unveiled a plan to strip many collective bargaining rights from teachers and most other public employees. GOP elected officials are pursuing similar measures in Ohio and other states. But in the DeForest district, like some others around the state, collective bargaining,…

After nearly four decades of campaigning, faculty and academic staff union members across the University of Wisconsin (UW) System won the right to bargain collectively in June 2009 when the Governor signed legislation that modified state labor law. In this paper, I present historical and interdisciplinary analyses of the organizational structures…

Outlines the history of Wisconsin's Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA), details the new MERA procedures, and analyzes some of the procedure's implications for municipal labor relations. Concludes that the limitations placed on the right to strike may undermine the statute's long-term effectiveness. Journal availability: see EA 511 539.…

This glossary is designed for practitioners who have no special preparation in public sector labor relations but who must know its vocabulary because of their growing involvement in the field. For those practitioners whose jurisdictions lie within the six midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, the names…

This paper, addressed to public school employers, discusses lessons to be learned from the Wisconsin Legislature's passage of a 1978 law known as mediation-arbitration, which allows employers and unions to agree to an alternative voluntary impasse procedure to the one set forth in the statutes. First, the paper discusses the history of the agency…

In the face of a high degree of legislative activity concerning public sector labor relations in the Midwest, this guide was prepared to familiarize practitioners with such legislation enacted as of May 1, 1975, in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. This legislation concerns state employees, fire fighters, municipal…

For the last four years, Wisconsin's rural manpower program consisted of three program units--Rural Services, Migrant Services, and Teacher Placement Services. These services reported to and were coordinated by the Director of Central Operations. Ongoing shifts in program emphasis and an extensive reorganization of the State Employment Service…

This collection of background materials and guides is intended to assist Wisconsin educators involved in providing vocational experience programs for students with disabilities. Following an introductory section, the second section presents information on the following federal laws: Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); Individuals with Disabilities…