Teachers and Their Unions

Teachers and Their Unions: Labor Relations in Uncertain Times explores the decade of uncertainty in public education following the Great Recession by first laying a foundation that describes the development of teachers and public education and the rise of teacher unions. The selection of the industrial labor model at the outset of public sector collective bargaining set the table for challenges to its fit with education. The theme of teacher as member of a union and teacher as a professional is explored within the context of a collective bargaining environment. The section “Law and Politics in Uncertain Times: Retrenchment and Assault” explores the decade of uncertainty. It reviews the industrial union model and within the twin challenges of the conundrum of teacher as union member and professional in the struggles of the decade. Tenure (boondoggle or necessary protection), VAM (rank and yank), right-to-work, agency fees, and teacher strikes are explored within the themes of the industrial union model and the tension of union member and professional. The book concludes with thoughts for the future and responds to the question of whether teacher unions are still pertinent.

In Teachers and Their Unions: Labor Relations in Uncertain Times, Todd DeMitchell and his contributing authors have skillfully addressed the tangled maze of issues pertaining to professionalism and unionism in education. Particularly enlightening is the discussion of why the industrial union model of "us versus them" is not appropriate in school settings. This book is a must read for scholars, policy makers, and practitioners interested in the political and legal history, current status, and possible future of teachers' unions in our nation.--Martha McCarthy, Presidential Professor, Loyola Marymount University; Chancellor's Professor Emeritus, Indiana University; Past President of the Education Law Association, Teacher unions have played an important role in the shaping of public education over the last half century and are largely responsible for the gains teachers have made in wages and working conditions. Nevertheless, collective bargaining in the schools is similar to collective bargaining in the industrial sector, which forces teachers to assume two sometimes conflicting roles: professional educator and union member. Professor DeMitchell's book traces the history of unionization among teachers in the United States and analyzes the ongoing political and legal challenges to the collective-bargaining model in the schools. His book is an important contribution to the literature on collective bargaining in the public sector and is a must read for anyone interested in labor relations and education policy.--William Richard Fossey, Paul Burdin Endowed Professor of Education, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Todd A. DeMitchell, a John & H. Irene Peters Professor of Education, served as a teacher and administrator in the public schools for 18 years. During his 30 years at the University of New Hampshire he has studied, taught, and consulted on school law and labor relations.