Timely Book for School Negotiators Just Released
Washington, DC (March 27) - Spring is the time when
school district contracts are negotiated. In his latest
book, Understanding the Teacher Union Contract: A
Citizen's Handbook, Myron Lieberman provides the
first comprehensive analysis of school board/teacher union
negotiations.
Lieberman's book is an explanation of how school
district/teacher union contract provisions restrict many of
the reforms that are being discussed at the federal level.
The first chapter in the book summarizes the legal,
strategic, and organizational parameters of teacher union
bargaining. The next nine chapters are devoted to the major
categories of contract provisions, including union rights in
negotiations; representation issues; grievance; procedures;
school board/union relations; union security; union rights;
and taxpayer subsidies to unions.
Each chapter provides examples of actual contract
language to illustrate desirable and undesirable clauses
from a public interest point of view. Chapter 10 analyzes
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
(NBPTS) and Peer Review. These contemporary union
initiatives are coming to the fore as contracts expire and
new ones are negotiated. The concluding chapter is devoted
to what can be done about the deficiencies of teacher
bargaining.
Dr. Philip E. Geiger, a former school district
superintendent in Massachusetts and New Jersey, says "Myron
Lieberman may be the country's foremost expert on teacher
unions, union tactics, and public employment agreements. His
Understanding the Teacher Union Contract
provides clear, concise, and detailed advice for any public
policymakers who want to assure themselves a level playing
field during labor negotiations. Lieberman describes many
subtle issues that, if ignored, could be disastrous for
schools and the public that they serve. To his credit, he
does this not by 'bashing' the unions, but by opening the
eyes of school board members, legislators, administrators,
and others empowered to set public policy."
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Understanding the Teacher Union Contract --
Table of Contents
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