A Descriptive Analysis of Teacher Union Tactics and the Acceptability of Alternative Techniques for Resolving Teacher Union-School Board Disputes

The education of thousands of students in Wisconsin has been disrupted and in other ways deleteriously affected by the effects of conflicts between teacher unions, particularly education associations, and school boards. The purpose of this study was to identify the tactics used by these teacher groups and to determine the acceptability of some alternative techniques for resolving collective bargaining disputes. The following null hypotheses were tested in this research: 1. There will be no significant difference in levels of agreement on the tactics used by teacher unions in Wisconsin as identified by teachers, teacher union leaders, school board members, and administrators in selected Wisconsin school districts. 2. The tactics of teacher unions as identified by teachers, teacher union leaders, school board members, and administrators in selected Wisconsin school districts will not substantiate the validity of a paradigm of tactics based on a modified model of political activism. 3. There will be no significant differences among teachers, teacher union leaders, school board members, and administrators in selected Wisconsin school districts in the degree of acceptance of specified alternative techniques for resolving school board-teacher union disputes. The purposes of this study were served by construction of a paradigm of teacher union tactics and the compilation of seven alternative techniques for resolution of conflicts. A survey instrument was constructed to obtain data from the four respondent categories in 33 school districts in which strikes had occurred. A randomly-selected group of 1,228 potential respondents was surveyed. Subsequently, 618 had responded by the time responses were compiled and prepared for data processing..