Collective bargaining in the public sector: some propositions on the cause of public employee unrest

Author(s):  
Jean Boivin
Author(s):  
Nelson Lichtenstein

This chapter considers the idea of governmental “sovereignty,” as used by the right, to undermine the rationale for collective bargaining in the public sector. From the Boston Police Strike of 1919 forward, conservatives have considered the organization of government workers to be incompatible with the sovereign status of those entities sustained by taxes and elected by the populace. Public employee unions subverted the will of elected officeholders and undermined state power. That antiunion ideology faded in the two decades after 1958 when public employee unionism grew by leaps and bounds, but in recent years it has returned, albeit in a distinctively neoliberal, antistate guise. Conservatives today charge that instead of challenging the power of the state, public sector unionism is illegitimate because these institutions support those governmental functions that regulate commerce, sustain public education, and provide other public goods now under attack from the neoliberal right.


ILR Review ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald G. Ehrenberg ◽  
Daniel R. Sherman ◽  
Joshua L. Schwarz

This paper develops and illustrates the use of two methodologies to analyze the effect of unions on productivity in the public sector. Although the methodologies are applicable to a wide variety of public sector functions, the focus of the paper is on municipal libraries because of the availability of relevant data. The empirical analysis, which uses 1977 cross-section data on 260 libraries, suggests that collective bargaining coverage has not significantly affected productivity in municipal libraries.


ILR Review ◽  
1976 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 602
Author(s):  
David Lewin ◽  
Frank H. Cassell ◽  
Jean J. Baron

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helder Gusso

This article highlights the duty of the public employee to oppose any government policy that goes against constitutional principles and objectives. The defence of this position is made from an organizational analysis of the State. Theoretical contributions such as the understanding of State and Domination in M. Weber, Organization in D. Katz and R.L. Khan, and Control Agency in B.F. Skinner have been used. The analysis of contingencies that control the behavior of the public employee and the understanding of the notions of State and Organizations enable greater clarity about what constitutes the role of workers in the public sector. It also highlights the importance of existing mechanisms to reduce the imbalance in power relations between governors, servants and the population.


2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 688-700
Author(s):  
Marie-Armelle Souriac

The right to strike has been recognised in France, even as a right guaranteed by the Constitution, since 1946. Strikes in the public sector are subject to specific legal regulation, including requirements for minimum notice periods and, in some circumstances, minimum service requirements. This contribution examines these special legal features of public-sector strikes. It is necessary to clarify the respective roles and responsibilities of the management of public enterprises (or administrative authorities) and the government. The article also considers alternative (and new) forms of collective action and agreements. In the future there may well be even greater scope for the regulation of strikes to be covered by collective bargaining.


Author(s):  
Mirari ERDAIDE GABIOLA ◽  
Arantza GONZÁLEZ LÓPEZ

LABURPENA: Estatuko Aurrekontu Orokorren Legeak sektore publikoko herriadministrazio eta erakunde guztiei debekatu egiten die ekarpenik egitea enpleguko pentsio-planetan edo aseguru kolektiboko kontratuetan, erretiroagatiko estaldura jasotzen badute. Hain zuzen ere, debeku hori aztertzen da lan honetan. Azterketa Enplegatu Publikoaren Oinarrizko Estatutua eta EK-ko 149.1.13. nahiz 156. artikuluen inguruko doktrina konstituzionala oinarri hartuta egituratzen da, eta debeku haren konstituziokontrakotasuna ondorioztatzen du. Adibidez, Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoaren kasuan, debekuak Euskal Herriko Autonomia Estatutuko 10.4 artikulutik ondorioztatzen den berezko eskumen-esparru esklusiboan dauka eragina. RESUMEN: Este trabajo analiza la prohibición que impone la Ley de Presupuestos Generales del Estado a todas las Administraciones Públicas y entidades integrantes del sector público de realizar aportaciones a planes de pensiones de empleo o contratos de seguro colectivos que incluyan la cobertura de la contingencia de jubilación. El análisis se vertebra a partir del Estatuto Básico del Empleado Público y de la doctrina constitucional en torno a los artículos 149.1.13.ª CE y 156 CE, concluyendo en la inconstitucionalidad de aquella prohibición, que en la Comunidad Autónoma de Euskadi incide en el ámbito competencial propio y exclusivo que deriva del artículo 10.4 del Estatuto de Autonomía del País Vasco. ABSTRACT: This work analyzes the prohibition imposed by the State Budget’s Act to every public administration and entity part of the public sector to contribute to pension plans or collective insurance policies that cover the retirement contingency. This analysis has as essential structure the Basic Statute of the Public Employee and the constitutional doctrine regarding articles 149.1.13 and 156 of the Constitution and it concludes with the unconstitutionality of that prohibition which in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi has an impact on the very own and exclusive powers that derive from article 10.4 of the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country.


1988 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth M. Jennings ◽  
Steven K. Paulson ◽  
Steven A. Williamson

Public employees in Florida have been permitted by law since 1974 to engage in collective bargaining with their employers. Along with the right to engage in collective bargaining, the law established a dispute resolution process for resolving bargaining impasses in lieu of the strike, which was strictly prohibited. This law also established the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC), which was created to oversee the process. The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the present impasse procedure as perceived by the concerned parties. This study was exploratory in nature and designed to provide PERC and thus the Florida Legislature with the documentation required for review of the present law. A total of 1,150 questionnaires were mailed to union representatives and public employers. A 45 percent return rate was achieved. The return was approximately equally divided between the unions and the employers. Frequency distributions of these responses and regression analyses are presented and conclusions are drawn as to the perceived effectiveness of the process.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document