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EDG/EDL 510 – Labor-Management Relations in the School Setting |
Cliff Donn |
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Spring 2009 |
Reilly Hall 416, 445-4484 |
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web.lemoyne.edu/~donn/class/edl510/edl510.htm |
donn@lemoyne.edu |
TOPICS: This course is about the processes by
which school district employees unionize and engage in collective bargaining
with their employers. While all
categories of school personnel, both professional and non-professional, will be
discussed, the emphasis will be on teaching staff. The objective of the class
is not to provide canned formulas or "correct" answers.
Rather, students will become familiar with a variety of alternative approaches
and with the arguments for and against these alternatives.
Students have opportunities to research and
practice problem solving and leadership skills as applied to labor
relations. In fact, the class will rely
heavily on case materials and experiential exercises. The class is also designed to promote the
sharing of professional expertise. However, because of the sensitive nature of
personnel issues, experiences are shared without identifying schools or individuals.
Class discussions of specific school problems are not to be shared in
discussions outside of class.
SOURCES: The basic text for this course is Collective
Bargaining in Education: Negotiating Change in Today’s Schools, Jane Hannaway and Andrew J. Rotherham.
You will be reading some of this book on virtually every topic we cover. In
addition, there will be sections of other books and articles from a variety of
journals on reserve at the library, and most of these will be available to you
electronically.
REQUIREMENTS: All students in EDG/EDL 510
will be required to take a final examination at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8.
In addition, each student will participate in at least three three exercises
involving the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and grievance
handling. Other assignments and requirements will be discussed with the class
and decided during the first several weeks of the class. This discussion will
include the weighting of each component in terms of the course grade.
You should not take this class unless you
expect to be able to attend all class sessions. If you miss class, it is your
responsibility to get notes, any materials that were distributed, etc. Any
class you miss involves missing an entire week of material. This is a major
loss in terms of your mastery of the course. We understand that you have many
important claims on your time including professional obligations. It is up to
you to decide on your priorities. However, you cannot receive a passing grade
in the course without mastering the material and this cannot be done with a
significant number of absences, no matter how valid the justification so you
cannot receive a passing grade in the course if you miss several classes. In
addition, for any absences beyond the first, regardless of the reason, you will
be assigned a paper of five to six pages on the reading material assigned for
that week. This assignment is explained in greater detail on the course home
page.
CELL PHONES: Cell phones must be turned off
(not set on vibrate) during class. If an emergency necessitates that yours be
kept on for a particular day, please consult the instructor at the beginning of
class.
DISABILITY: If you have a documented
disability and wish to discuss accommodation, please contact the instructor during
the first two weeks of the course.
SCHEDULE: This schedule of topics and
activities is tentative and may be altered in the first few weeks of the
semester depending on the decisions the class makes about assignments and
requirements.
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Topics/Activities |
Dates |
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1. Introduction |
January 21 |
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2. History and Background of Teacher
Collective Bargaining |
January 28 |
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3. Teacher and Public Sector Unionism |
February 4 |
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4. Negotiating Collective Bargaining
Agreements |
February 11, 18 |
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5. Mediation and Fact Finding |
February 18 |
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6. Negotiation Exercise |
February 25, March 4 |
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7. Collective Bargaining and Educational
Quality |
March 18 |
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8. Mediation/Fact Finding Exercise |
March 25 |
| 9. |
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10. Grievance/Arbitration Exercise |
April 22 |
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11. Collective Bargaining and Reforming the Educational System |
May 6 |
EXPECTATIONS:
WHAT I EXPECT FROM YOU: I expect that
you will come to class each day on time, having done the reading assignment and
that you will be prepared to participate by asking and answering questions and
by expressing your opinions. I expect that you will ask questions about
anything you don't understand or with which you disagree. I expect that
assignments will be done and turned in on time, that they will reflect the best
work you can do and that they will reflect only your own work. I expect that
you will contact me if you are having any problems in the course or if you are
having personal problems which may affect your performance in the course.
Overall, I expect you to work hard at getting the most out of this course that
you possibly can.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM ME: You can
expect that I shall come to class on time each day having thought about and
prepared the material. You can expect that I shall answer your questions to the
best of my ability and that your opinions will be heard with respect. You can
expect that your assignments and exams will be graded carefully and returned in
a timely manner and that you will be given an explanation of why you receive
the grades you receive. You can expect that I shall make time to see you if you
need to see me and that I shall keep regular office hours.
WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT FROM EACH OTHER:
A serious commitment to learning and a serious effort toward that end.
OUTCOMES: At the end of this course, the
successful student will be familiar with the basic concepts related to labor
relations in the school environment. The student will be familiar with commonly
used tools and their limitations and will be able to explain both the tools and
limitations and will be familiar with the information and data required to make
labor relations decisions and will know how to find those data. The student
will be familiar with major controversies in the field and will be able to
articulate the basic arguments on both sides of those controversies.
READING ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Introduction
·
Hannaway and Rotherham,
“Introduction,” in Hannaway and
2. History and Background
·
Kahlenberg, “The History of Collective Bargaining Among
Teachers,” in Hannaway and
Optional:
·
Doherty,
"Public Education," in Gerald G. Somers, Collective Bargaining:
Contemporary American Experience
3. Teacher and Public Sector Unionism
·
Farber, “Union
Membership in the
·
Murphy, “Collective
Bargaining: The Coming of Age of Teacher Unionism,” in Boris and Lichtenstein, Major
Problems in the History of American Workers
4.
Negotiating Collective Bargaining Agreements
·
Hess and Kelly, “Scapegoat, Albatross or What?
The Status Quo in Teacher Collective Bargaining,” in Hannaway
and
·
Hill, “The Costs of Collective Bargaining
Agreements and Related District Policies,” in Hannaway
and
· Hebdon and Stern, "Do Public Sector Strike Bans Really Prevent Conflict," Industrial Relations, July 2003
· Partridge, "A Reexamination of the Effectiveness of No-Strike Laws for Public School Teachers," Journal of Collective Negotiations in the Public Sector, no. 4, 1988
Optional:
·
Lunenburg, “Collective Bargaining in the Public Schools:
Issues, Tactics, and New Strategies,” Journal of Collective
Negotiations in the Public Sector, V.29, N.4, 200
·
Richard E. Walton
and Robert B. McKersie, A Behavorial Theory of
Labor Negotiations, Chap. 1, "Introduction and Theoretical
Framework"
5. Mediation and Fact Finding
· McKelvey, "Fact Finding in Public Employment: Promise or Illusion," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, July 1969
· Karper, "Fact Finding in Public Employment: Promise or Illusion Revisited," Journal of Collective Negotiations in the Public Sector, V.23, n.4, 1994
Optional:
· Wall, Stark and Standifer, "Mediation: A Current Review and Theory Development," Journal of Conflict Resolution, October 2001
· Posthuma et al., "Mediator Tactics and Sources of Conflict: Facilitating and Inhibiting Effects," Industrial Relations, January 2002
7. Collective Bargaining and Educational
Quality
·
Johnson and
Donaldson, “The Effects of Collective Bargaining on Teacher Quality,” in Hannaway and
·
Goldhaber, “Are Teacher Unions Good for Students,” in Hannaway and
Optional:
·
Manna, “Teachers
Unions and No Child Left Behind,” in Hannaway and
9. Grievances and Arbitration
· Lewin, "Theoretical and Empirical Research on the Grievance Procedure and Arbitration: A Critical Review," Eaton and Keefe, Employment Dispute Resolution and Worker Rights in the Changing Workplace
·
Zirkel and Miller,
“Grievance Arbitration in K-12 Education Cases: Do Selected Case
Characteristics Make a Difference?” Journal of Collective Negotiations in
the Public Sector, V.28, N.4, 1999
Optional:
·
Bacharach and
Bamberger, "The Power of Labor to Grieve: The Impact of the Workplace,
Labor Market and Power-Dependence on Employee Grievance Filing," Industrial
and Labor Relations Review, July 2004
·
LaRocca, "Ambiguities in Labor Contracts: Where Do They
Come From?" Dispute Resolution Journal, February-April 2004
11. Collective Bargaining and Reforming the
Education System
·
Casey, “The
Educational Value of Democratic Voice,” in Hannaway
and
·
Koppich, “The As-Yet-Unfulfilled Promise of Reform
Bargaining,” in Hannaway and
·
Moe, “Union Power
and the Education of Children,” in Hannaway and
Optional:
·
Kerchner, “The Modern Guild: The Prospects for Organizing
around Quality in Public Education,” in Brock and Lipsky,
Going Public: The Role of Labor-Management Relations in Delivering Quality
Government Services