California State University, Northridge, juniors, seniors, and alumni with certain academic majors were surveyed to assess demand for and interest in the establishment of an MPA program at CSUN. Women expressed interest in a government career and in education for public service with about the same frequency as men. (JEL)

Available from: Sage Publications, Inc., 275 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90212. (JG)

A survey of the personal staff of United States Senators explored the hypotheses that staff with undergraduate majors in political science would be more likely to (1) read political science books and journals, (2) have greater contact with political scientists, and (3) recognize applications of political science to their jobs. Response data did…

Analyzing state data for 1959-1978, the author finds that the enactment of laws requiring public sector employers to bargain with majority representatives of their employees was the single most important factor in the growth of teacher unions. (Author/SK)

Public employee status in relation to office privacy has not been clarified by the recent Supreme Court decision in "O'Conner v. Ortega." The 1986 Handicapped Children's Protection Act's provision allowing courts to award attorney fees to parents who win cases on administrative rights is ambiguous. The implications for schools are…

Examines Fourth Amendment legal issues involved in drug testing of public employees. Discusses several recent court cases involving probable cause and reasonable suspicion to determine appropriate standards for individual situations. Outlines implications for public employers. Blanket drug testing is not permissable, though job applicants have…

A significant main effect was found for type of work environment, confirming the hypothesis that public sector supervisors were more lenient in their evaluations of older employees. Female supervisors were found to be more unfavorable in their evaluations of older employees. Implications of findings and suggestions for future research are offered.…

Using data on wage claims investigations of a state labor department, this study indicates that investigators become significantly more productive during the first six years of job experience. (SK)

A recent Supreme Court decision on a First Amendment case involving a teacher in Texas illustrates how teachers' and other public employees' rights to freedom of speech face serious erosion. The problem is deciding whether grievances fall into the protected area of "public concern" or the unprotected area of a "purely private…

Historical evidence is presented for the thesis that exclusive union representation by majority rule was adopted in the private sector primarily to pave the way for a corporative state. Peaceful, orderly collective bargaining by "responsible" unions in a competitive economy was a minor, secondary consideration. (Author/MLF)

Investigates the attitudes of 340 Israeli government employees toward their work and the introduction of the computer. Three behavior modalities--affective, cognitive, and instrumental--of five referent groups are examined both for work and for computer introduction. (Author/IRT)

Discusses common problems involved in collective bargaining for public employees and recommends a number of changes in public employee labor relations laws that can help resolve those problems. Available from: Commerce Clearing House, Inc., 4025 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60646; single copy, $3.00. (JG)