The Collective Bargaining And Negotiation Process

Over the years unions have provided many benefits to union workers through collective bargaining. One of the biggest union forces in the United States is the teachers union. With almost close to 5 million members nationwide, the teachers union is one of the most powerful unions. Through collective bargaining, problems have been created for the public school system which takes place at local school districts; rules have been imposed to create ineffective forms of organization at schools. The rules that are currently in place by collective bargaining are also creating a big disconnection with many public schools, that being the interest of the children. The teachers union is one main role

Collective bargaining, as its name implies, is achieved when two or more parties come together to make a decision about something. Specifically, it is achieved when employers and a group of employees work together to decide important terms and conditions regarding employment. These terms and conditions include compensation as well as rights and responsibilities of employees, employers, and unions. They can also include guidelines for resolving problems such as grievances and disputes (Budd, 2010, p. 13).

LEWIN, D., KEEFE, J. H., & KOCHAN, T. A. (2012). THE NEW GREAT DEBATE ABOUT UNIONISM AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN U.S. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. ILR Review, 65(4), 749-778 Retrieved from https://web-b-ebscohost-com.bethelu.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=71a03270-ad95-41f9-a574-414b59891617%40sessionmgr103&hid=101

According to Wayne County Community College District Board of Trustees Policy Manual (2015) it states, “Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) clearly acknowledges collective bargaining agreements and other Federal, State, and other legal documents which affect the operations, mission, and goals of the community” (p. n.d.). WCCCD downtown campus has offices for the Wayne County Community College Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Wayne County Community College Professional & Administrative Staff (PAS). The positive impact this has made on the governance at WCCCD, is during a district wide conference last year, the members of the WCCCD Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 2000, and the Professional & Administrative Association, AFT Local 4467, rallied with students, parents and members of the community for a Solidarity Walk in Support of our Students (SOS), as they called on WCCCD to improve the educational state of affairs for the students (AFT Michigan, 2014, para. 1). This supports one of five of the Value Statements in the 2015- 2020 Strategic Plan, and it states “Being Accountable -We are accountable to the students who depend on us to provide them with a quality education, to the citizens who support us with their tax dollars, and to the businesses that depend on us to provide them with highly trained employees (Wayne County Community College Strategic Plan 2015-2020, 2015, p. 8).” Whereas, the Chancellor of the District and is responsible for implementing the

One of the main reasons why teacher unions were created was to provide the teachers with rights, give the teachers better working conditions, and for the students so they could have a better learning environment. “The Federation fought for teachers' rights and improved working conditions, but it also played a prominent role in Chicago progressive reform (Rousmaniere, 2005).” The CTU’s and the Federation’s main purpose when they were created was to reform the rights of teachers and the school quality for the students that attend them. Teachers realized that they needed better conditions for the students when they saw, heard, or had been to private schools. Working together, the teachers set up organized strikes that were not violent and made the Board of Education meet the demands of the teachers. The outcome of the strike was the increase in the pay the teachers received, better environments for the students, and the teacher

In the early chapters of Special Interest Terry Moe spends much of his energy in attacking the power of the teacher unions. He claims that teachers unions are the heart of the problem when it comes to organization and reform (Moe, 2011, p. 20). While Moe claims the NEA (National Education Association) and the AFT (American Federation of Teachers) have historically lobbied against many reform programs, including voucher programs, charter schools, and merit pay programs, there is also evidence where teachers’ unions have supported new reforms. They have introduced new charter schools and have based salaries on merit pay programs. Former NEA president Bob Chase delivered a speech in 1997 claiming that the NEA was on the forefront of education reform. He stated that the NEA invested 70 million dollars on reform initiatives and sponsored six charter schools across the country (Chase, 1997, p. 372). Educational policy makers should be in particular interest to these examples especially if they believe in the effectiveness of reform programs. If policy makers understand the thinking behind why the unions support or oppose reforms, better policies can be put in place. In addition, policy makers in partnership with the teachers unions can work hand in hand to successfully coordinate reforms in American education.

Every school district has board meetings throughout the school year. Unfortunately, many parents, community members, & school personnel do not attend such important meetings because they don’t realize or understand the importance of such board meetings or how informative they can be. According to Kankakee School District (2017), the Kankakee School District Board of Education is composed of seven elected members, who were elected by the citizens of Kankakee to serve a four-year term that do not receive no salary for they services, are committed to ensuring a quality of educational excellence that will enhance the opportunities and challenges facing today’s student and additional responsibilities that board members include are selection of the District superintendent, developing general polices according to wishes of the community and requirements of law, hiring school personnel based upon recommendation of the Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendent of Personnel, adopts salary schedules, approves funds to finance school operations, must adopt and review the annual operating budget for the District, and setting the property tax levy to produce adequate funds to meet the District’s financial needs ranks among the responsibilities of the Board of Education (Retrieved from https://www.ksd111.org/domain/68). For this paper, the Kankakee School District board meeting will be used, information learned from board meeting, use of

Lawsuits for sexual harassment, physical abuse, and racial discrimination have grown steadily in the last few decades and can threaten a teacher 's job and reputation. Another benefit is defense against harsh treatment fom board members with petty criticisms through the local collective negotiating. Unfortunately, both are necessities in the education business. These teachers also feel that the NEA is their best hope for obtaining higher salaries and a voice in the administration of their schools. The other group joins because they have to, their school district has agreed to allow a closed shop to exist, where all teachers must pay some level of union dues. Few teachers join because they wholeheartedly believe in the political and social agenda of the NEA. The union is often far left of its membership on many issues. One thing that can be agreed on by everyone is that the NEA is very large, very wealthy, and very powerful. Recently surpassing the Teamsters in size, the NEA has over 2 million members, making it the largest union in America. Past Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander once said that, "After the post office, schools are the most unionized activity in America.

Bargaining is a main point in the success of a contract in a labor union. The ILWU has

Collective bargaining was a result of a Keokuk, Iowa teacher strike in 1970. The salary of the teachers was the main reason the KEA and school board was vigorously divided. When a deadlock was reached between the two groups a mediator came in to help. The school board shot down what the mediator came up with for a solution. According to Daily Gate City, “When the school board adopted a salary schedule April 17 that was $21,000 (or $107 per teacher) less of a package than what was recommended by the mediator, the teachers, with community support went on strike”(Daily Gate City). The Keokuk Education Association ended up in court due to the teachers protesting and state public employees were not allowed to go on strike. They refused to stop the

There could be disruption in the school environment if no union was present, and some teachers fear, that a principal could quickly decide that a teacher no longer suits the school’s needs. The complete end to collective bargaining would “almost certainly mean more frequent walkouts and strikes”

The AFT works to tear down the artificial barriers between contract bargaining matters and other professional issues, and reframed the education reform discussion to include teachers and paraprofessionals as decision-making partners. (Professionals, 2015) The federation entered in the last decade of the 20th century, with nearly 700,000 members, all the issues that the union has

The conditions that the American Federation of Teachers fights for are important not only for the well-being of teachers, but also for the success of students. This union does not focus solely on their own benefits, wages, and other measures of wealth, but they fight for the causes that they are passionate about. Fortunately, the American Federation of Teachers is an impactful union that has the ability to make a difference in the issues that are most concerning. This kind of power is unique to unions, because when people bind together to fight for a mutual benefit, the impact is much greater. However, the American Federation of Teachers individually develops a voice that cannot be ignored.

Teacher Unions have evolved over time and have been essential in education equality and reform. Some now question the motivation behind these unions and whether or not they are now a barrier to reform, rather than a assistant. This paper will explore the evolvement of not only Teacher Unions, but the purpose and motivation behind said unions. Two of the most predominately known unions are American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association, NEA.

Collective bargaining is the process by which conditions of employment are negotiated between management, and the labor organization representing employees in the bargaining unit. However, “collective bargaining refers to a situation in which union members and officials meet with an intent to resolve any issues or conflicts, in an attempt to maintain relationships” (Holley, Jennings, & Wolters, 2012, p. 243). The collective bargaining process relies on four aspects: recognition of the meeting, meeting with appropriate parties, bargaining in good faith, and incorporating the reached agreement (Adam, 1997). Nevertheless, collective bargaining activities are governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA requires bargaining