Characteristics of bargaining team members that affect the outcome of union negotiations in Illinois secondary school districts

Includes bibliographical references (pages [168]-172)The purpose of this study was to determine the ten most important personal characteristics of bargaining team members as perceived to affect the outcome of collective bargaining in Illinois secondary school districts. This study assessed the responses of three groups of individuals who participate in secondary school collective bargaining: Bargaining Unit Members; Management (including Superintendents, Board of Education Members, and Administrators); and Professional Negotiators. Participants from these three groups answered a survey that asked demographic questions, asked opinions on thirty-five characteristics of bargaining team members, and examined the opinions of bargaining team members whose responses indicated that their last contract bargaining sessions were successful. The survey instrument was sent to all secondary school districts (101) in Illinois, with a total of 59 school districts responding (58.42%). A total of 160 of a possible 505 (31.68%) survey responses were received, including 74 of a possible 202 (36.14%) management responses, 73 of a possible 202 (36.14%) bargaining unit member responses, and 13 of a possible 101 (12.87%) professional negotiator responses. The first survey section examined the results of the selections of the top ten characteristics by each of the three groups and a summary of the combination of the three groups. The second section examined the top ten characteristics selected by the survey participants, the Bargaining Unit Members, the Management, and the Professional Negotiators, whose responses were “Very Satisfied” (4.5 and above on a five-point Likert scale) in the Satisfaction section of the research survey, which explored level of satisfaction about the results of their last certified negotiations. Responses of all three groups were examined and, in summary, the combination of the responses of the three groups was examined as a whole unit. The responses to the demographic questions (number of full-time teachers, number of students enrolled, length of time of the last negotiated contract, type of area where district is located, and collective bargaining method) were not statistically significant. The implications of the analysis of the data of this study include conclusions in two areas of equal value of information that is added to the literature: the similarities and the differences of the characteristics selected by the individual survey respondent subgroups.Ed.D. (Doctor of Education