ontract negotiations impacting upon the relationship between teachers and the public school systems for which they work. A conclusion will attempt to discuss the efficacy of collective bargaining in resolving issues of dispute between teachers and boards of education, as well as its impact on teacher morale.
Across the nation education reforms are flying through state and local legislatures, the majority of them aimed at increasing teacher accountability, raised standards, and improved student performance. From restructuring due to technology (Internet, World Wide Web, laptops, etc.) to teaching methodology (more local control and authority), teachers not only face traditional pressures on the job but a host of new ones. Overcrowding, rising student violence, low pay rates, dilapidated schools and inadequate student supplies all compound teacher stress and deleteriously impact teacher morale. In fact, there were many teacher strikes across the nation this year and the same issues keep surfacing in all of them: overcrowding, low pay, increased pressure. As one union member involved in the Wayne, New Jersey, teachers strike “After agreeing on such issues as benefits and mandatory meetings for teachers, the sides were divided almost exclusively over money” (Fallon 1).
In Buffalo, teachers represented by the Buffalo Teachers Federation (BTF) walked off the job in the summer of 2000 due to failed negotiations between the BTF and the Buffalo Independent School District (BISD). The failure in negotiations was attributable to one thing primarily – teacher pay scales. While teachers are often de-motivated and morale decreases because of various teaching issues like overcrowding and increased responsibility without authority, money remains the primary motivating factor when it comes to work stoppages, strikes, and the breakdown in negotiations between teacher unions and boards of education. Despite many issues being arbitra...