DOCSLIB.ORG

Collective Bargaining Explaining California’S System

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Collective Bargaining Explaining California’S System REPORT March 1999 Collective Bargaining Explaining California’s System ollective bargaining to establish salaries, bene- unit, although supervisors such as principals may ® fits, and working conditions for public school form their own unit. Clarifying Cemployees is now an institutionalized fact of The rest of the employees comprise the classi- life in California — one that is simultaneously helpful Complex fied staff. For the purposes of bargaining, they are and unpredictable, familiar and not well understood, often subdivided into groups, such as clerical work- Education straightforward and complex. Virtually all public ers, custodians, or classroom aides. Issues school districts participate in collective bargaining. The impact of collective bargaining since the Starting negotiations authorizing legislation in 1975 has been pervasive: it Once the bargaining units are determined, each unit Collective plays a central role in each district’s decision making may elect a union as its exclusive representative by bargaining is process. It affects every aspect of a school’s environ- majority vote. An election need not be held if only a procedure, ment and budget and, on many occasions, educa- one union petitions to represent a unit; in that case, tional policies and practices. regulated by law, the district grants voluntary recognition. When for negotiating School districts can implement most new laws — exclusive representatives have been identified, bilat- from class size reduction to teacher evaluation — only eral good faith negotiations must begin. The law an employment after they have “bargained” the impact. This can be does not require that the negotiations result in a con- contract between a significant in a district’s labor-management relations. tract (see Figure 1). school district and Further, although districts bargain independently, The actual negotiators vary according to the size representatives control of revenues for public schools is centralized of the district and the nature of its personnel relation- of employees. All in Sacramento — leaving districts with limited flexi- ships. In small districts the superintendent (or a des- bility to satisfy competing requests for resources. California school ignee representing the school board) may negotiate This report explains how school district collec- directly with officers or representatives of the union. districts bargain tive bargaining works in California, how conflicts Larger districts may assign the responsibility to a with their unions are resolved, and who the players are. team of administrators. Unions usually select their in a process that bargaining team from within the membership. can range from How it works Either party may bring in an outside professional adversarial to negotiator to bargain according to instructions or cooperative. At least once every three years, the employer (the guidelines set by the school board or the union. For school board) and the exclusive bargaining agent example, the statewide unions, such as the California of the employees (the union) meet to negotiate the Teachers Association or California School Employees terms for working in the district. Collective Association, often offer assistance to local units, and INSIDE THIS REPORT bargaining is used to set salaries and bene- some school boards hire legal or other consultants. fits, hours, the calendar, and most aspects of Because negotiations are mandated once a How it works 1 the working conditions for the represented bargaining unit has been selected, the state reim- Administering the law 4 employees, as well as to solve unanticipated burses the school district for the direct expenses and resolving conflicts problems and address new issues during the (except for the superintendent’s time) that it incurs period of the contract. in the bargaining process, including the cost of sub- Who are the players? 7 stitutes for up to five teachers who are part of the An ever-changing 8 Choosing a union bargaining team. Unions pay for their costs out of setting The process for establishing collective bar- the dues collected from their members. gaining was initially spelled out in Senate The negotiations schedule is jointly planned, Bill 160, the Educational Employment Relations Act and the process can take months. Negotiations usually of 1975 authored by Senator Al Rodda (see box on result in a contract signed by and binding on both par- page 4). ties. It applies to all employees in the bargaining unit, Employees who do similar work may create a whether or not all of them have joined the union. EdSource thanks bargaining unit. Employees who hold a teaching The original intent was for negotiations to be the Walter & Elise Haas credential and a non-administrative teaching posi- completed before a school district approves its final Fund for its investment tion (including part-time) comprise the certificated budget. In practice, contracts often are delayed in our work. staff. In some districts, other employees, for example because the state’s budget is rarely adopted before nurses and librarians, are part of the certificated bar- July 1. Serious negotiations require knowledge of how © Copyright 1999 gaining unit. Credentialed management and super- much money the district will have available for salary by EdSource, Inc. visory employees are not included in the teachers’ increases, benefits, and other costs. 1 Collective Bargaining ■ March 1999 REPORT ® Trish Williams Figure 1 EdSource Executive Director 1998–99 EdSource THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING PROCESS Board of Directors Sherry Loofbourrow, President Initial Former President, California School Proposal Boards Association Union William Moore, Vice President Public Vice Chairman of the Board, Comment Negotiations Tentative California Casualty Group "Sunshine" Agreement Gail Dryden, Secretary Initial Proposal Special Projects Director, League of Impasse District Women Voters of California Mediation Gerald C. Hayward, Fiscal Officer Revision, Adoption Sunshine Director, Policy Analysis for District's Intial Proposal Fiscal California Education Negotiations Effects William Chavez President, Strategic Education Services Fact Finding Carl A. Cohn Agreement Superintendent, Long Beach Contract Signed Unified School District Deborah Daniels-Smith Negotiations Director, SUCCESS – (Mediator may California Student Opportunity participate) and Access Program George Datz Chairperson, Educational Congress of California Unfair Contempt Work PERB Court Eugene Garcia Practice of Court Stoppage Decision Injunction Dean, Graduate School of Education, Charge Fine, Jail UC Berkeley Karyn Gill President, League of Women Voters of California Robert G. Haskell The dotted lines above indicate actions that occur when Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, the process fails. An unfair practice charge can be filed Pacific Life Insurance Company at any time during negotiations. EdSource 3/99 Donnell Jordan Teacher, Desert Sands Unified School District The term of a contract ranges from one to a Originally, the Rodda Act limited scope to Kelvin K. Lee maximum of three years. When negotiations stretch “matters relating to wages, hours of employment, Superintendent, Dry Creek Joint out for several months, the contract can be retroac- and other terms and conditions of employment.” Elementary School District tive to an earlier date. If agreed to in the original The latter were defined as certain health and welfare MaryAnn Memmer contract, specified items may be renegotiated (“re- benefits; safety conditions; leave, transfer, and reas- Vice President for Education, opened”) in the second or third year of a multi-year signment policies; evaluation, layoff, and grievance California State PTA contract by either party. Reopeners can be limited to, procedures; and class size. John Mockler for example, salaries, benefits, and one other topic, President, John Mockler & Through the appeals process, litigation, and new Associates, Inc. or they can include a longer list of items. laws, scope now covers many more topics. Typical Peter Schrag examples of the contents of a contract are in Figure 2. Contributing Editor, Sacramento Bee The details of the contract Among the myriad possibilities, the subjects for Rosaline Turnbull The law defines “scope,” a broad range of issues and bargaining are categorized as mandatory, permissive, President, California State PTA subjects that either party may introduce for negotia- or prohibited. Mandatory items must be negotiated, Krys Wulff tion. Scope is a crucial, dynamic area, one that was and failure of a school board to do so is evidence of President, American Association frequently litigated when collective bargaining was bad faith. Permissive items may be negotiated if both of University Women - California new to public schools. sides agree, but there is no legal duty to do so. 2 Collective Bargaining ■ March 1999 REPORT ® Non-negotiable items are preempted by the Figure 2 Education Code and are therefore beyond the scope of collective bargaining. Neither party may bring CONTENTS OF A TYPICAL TEACHERS’ CONTRACT those matters to the bargaining table. A crucial example of a non-negotiable item is the portion of the Education Code that describes due process — Compensation: cost-of-living adjustment, salary schedule, pay for specific duties (department chair, coach), mini- tenure — for permanent teachers. Dismissal proce- mum teacher salaries; expenses, travel reim- dures for all employees are spelled out in Califor- bursement, tuition reimbursement; mentor teacher nia’s Education
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Governing Body 323Rd Session, Geneva, 12–27 March 2015 GB.323/INS/5/Appendix III
    INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE Governing Body 323rd Session, Geneva, 12–27 March 2015 GB.323/INS/5/Appendix III Institutional Section INS Date: 13 March 2015 Original: English FIFTH ITEM ON THE AGENDA The Standards Initiative – Appendix III Background document for the Tripartite Meeting on the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87), in relation to the right to strike and the modalities and practices of strike action at national level (revised) (Geneva, 23–25 February 2015) Contents Page Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Decision on the fifth item on the agenda: The standards initiative: Follow-up to the 2012 ILC Committee on the Application of Standards .................. 1 Part I. ILO Convention No. 87 and the right to strike ..................................................................... 3 I. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 3 II. The Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) ......................................................................... 3 II.1. Negotiating history prior to the adoption of the Convention ........................... 3 II.2. Related developments after the adoption of the Convention ........................... 5 III. Supervision of obligations arising under or relating to Conventions ........................
    [Show full text]
  • BARGAINING the EIGHTIES a and A
    CAMPus· BARGAINING IN THE EIGHTIES A Retrospective and a Prospective Look Proceedings Eighth Annual Conference April 1980 AARON LEVENSTEIN, Editor JOEL M. DOUGLAS, Director ~ National Center for the Study of • Collective Bargaining in Higher Education 0 ~ Baruch College- CUNY CAMPUS BARGAINING IN THE EIGHTIES A Retrospective and a Prospective Look Proceedings Eighth Annual Conference April 1980 AARON LEVENSTEIN, Editor JOEL M. DOUGLAS, Director ~ National Center for the Study of • 0 • Collective Bargaining in Higher Education ~~,,,, Baruch College-CUNY TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Joel M. Douglas - Introduction ............................ 5 2. Joel Segall - Welcoming Address . .. 11 3. T. Edward Hollander and Lawrence R. Marcus - The Economic Environment in the Eighties ..................................... 12 4. Gerie Bledsoe - The Economic Environment in the Eighties - The Necessity for Joint Action ....................................... 1 9 5. Aaron Levenstein - The Legal Environment: The Yeshiva Decision ................................. 24 6. Joseph M. Bress - The Legal Environment in the Eighties - The Agency Shop . ..... 39 7. John Silber - Collective Bargaining m Higher Education: Expectations and Realities - A University President's Viewpoint ........................................ 49 8. Margaret K. Chandler and Daniel Julius - Rights Issues: A Scramble for Power? ........................................ 58 9. Jerome Medalie - Faculty Relations in Non-unionized Institutions ........................... 65 I 0. Ildiko Knott - Union
    [Show full text]
  • Collective Bargaining Agreement
    COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT BETWEEN KITSAP COUNTY AND OPERATING ENGINEERS, LOCAL 302 TEAMSTERS, LOCAL 589 IAM & AW, DISTRICT 160, LOCAL 282 LABORERS UNION, LOCAL 252 KC-281-19 January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ARTICLE 1 – RECOGNITION ................................................................................... 1 ARTICLE 2 – UNION SECURITY .............................................................................. 1 ARTICLE 3 – UNION/EMPLOYER RELATIONS ...................................................... 2 ARTICLE 4 – DEFINITIONS ...................................................................................... 3 ARTICLE 5 – NON-DISCRIMINATION ...................................................................... 5 ARTICLE 6 – MANAGEMENT RIGHTS .................................................................... 6 ARTICLE 7 – GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE ................................................................ 6 ARTICLE 8 – JOB VACANCIES ............................................................................... 9 ARTICLE 9 – WORK PERFORMED IN HIGHER CLASSIFICATION ..................... 11 ARTICLE 10 – DISCIPLINE AND TERMINATION .................................................. 12 ARTICLE 11 – PAY PERIOD ................................................................................... 16 ARTICLE 12 – PAYROLL DEDUCTION AND AUTOMATIC PAYROLL DEPOSIT ......................................................................................... 16 ARTICLE 13
    [Show full text]
  • New York State Public School Superintendents' Perceptions
    NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFICACY OF THE IMPASSE PROCEDURES UNDER THE TAYLOR LAW AND THE EFFECT OF IMPASSE ON SCHOOL CLIMATE A Doctoral Research Project Presented to Doctoral Committee Chair Raymond O’Connell, Ed.D. Esteves School of Education The Sage Colleges In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education In Educational Leadership Deborah L. Fox December 12, 2012 i NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFICACY OF THE IMPASSE PROCEDURES UNDER THE TAYLOR LAW AND THE EFFECT OF IMPASSE ON SCHOOL CLIMATE We represent to Sage Graduate School that this thesis/dissertation and abstract are the original work of the author(s) and do not infringe on the copyright or other rights of others. Deborah L. Fox Date of Signature Raymond O’Connell Date of Signature Doctoral Research Committee Chair ii © Copyright Deborah L. Fox, 2012 All Rights Reserved iii Inspirational Quote "Accomplishing a goal is not as important as the person you become accomplishing it," Neil Armstrong 1930-2012 American Astronaut, Apollo 11 Space Commander, and first person to walk on the moon. iv Dedication This body of work is dedicated to my mother Merida Louise Wolfe Fox 1941-1976 from whom I learned that your health, family, and life are all precious. She inspired me to make every day count; to dream big; to love deeply; and to grasp work, play, and every day with enthusiasm, conviction, and confidence. Most importantly, her memory motivated me to never give up on my goals despite life’s challenges.
    [Show full text]
  • International Association of Machinists, Local 289 ​Auto
    COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT By and Between Port of Seattle And INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS AND AEROSPACE WORKERS AFL-CIO DISTRICT LODGE NO. 160, LOCAL LODGE NO. 289 Term of Agreement July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2021 AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN PORT OF SEATTLE AND INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS AND AEROSPACE WORKERS, AFL-CIO, DISTRICT LODGE NO. 160, LOCAL LODGE NO. 289 JULY 1, 2019 - JUNE 30, 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents AGREEMENT ............................................................................................................... 1 ARTICLE 1 - RECOGNITION, SCOPE AND HIRING ............................................ 1 ARTICLE 2 - DISCHARGE OF EMPLOYEES ........................................................ 2 ARTICLE 3 - SHOP STEWARDS ............................................................................. 2 ARTICLE 4 - SENIORITY .......................................................................................... 2 ARTICLE 5 - PAYMENT OF WAGES ...................................................................... 3 ARTICLE 6 - SAFETY AND SANITARY CONDITIONS......................................... 4 ARTICLE 7 - VISIT TO THE ESTABLISHMENT .................................................. 5 ARTICLE 8 - GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE .............................................................. 5 ARTICLE 9 - SEPARABILITY AND SAVINGS CLAUSE ...................................... 6 ARTICLE 10 - PERSONS PROHIBITED .................................................................. 7 ARTICLE 11 - HOURS OF WORK............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • NLMC 2018 Agenda
    Conference Schedule Tuesday / August 21 7:30–8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast and App Demonstration INTERNATIONAL BALLROOM 8:30–9:30 a.m. PLENARY INTERNATIONAL BALLROOM Presentation of Colors U.S. Armed Forces National Anthem Emma Kashanitz, Taylor Mondragon; Victor J. Andrew High School Opening Remarks Richard Giacolone, Director, FMCS Welcome to Chicago The Honorable Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of the City of Chicago; Robert Reiter, President, Chicago Federation of Labor; Kate Shindle, President, Actors’ Equity Association 9:30–10:00 a.m. MORNING BREAK - CONTINENTAL LEVEL 10:00–11:30 a.m. PROGRAMS/WORKSHOPS Collective Bargaining Series: Traditional Bargaining (CLE) John Gray, FMCS; Kevin Hawkins, FMCS SALON 3 Collective bargaining in today’s environment is challenging. Improved negotiation skills can increase your odds of achieving a collective bargaining agreement that meets the needs of both sides. Participants will learn the basics of the collective bargaining process and table dynamics, and identify strategies and skills to increase their odds not only for success at the table, but also for a productive labor-management relationship. Participants will leave with an understanding of proposal gathering, initial exchange, volleys, packaging, and the management of stakeholder dynamics that affect the entire process. This session is approved for 1.5 CLE Credits Dealing Positively with Difficult Behaviors Gary Hattal, FMCS; Tom Melançon, FMCS CONTINENTAL BALLROOM B What causes toxic behaviors in the workplace? How can we define and categorize these behaviors to help us understand and deal with them more effectively? This workshop provides specific tips and strategies for addressing interpersonal challenges in the workplace.
    [Show full text]
  • The Power Resources Approach: Developments and Challenges
    The Power Resources Approach: Developments and Challenges Stefan Schmalz, Friedrich Schiller University, Germany Carmen Ludwig, Justus Liebig University, Germany Edward Webster, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Introduction Instead of dismissing labour as a product of the past, the study of labour has been revitalised over the past two decades by approaches that emphasise the ability of organised labour to act strategically. This new branch of research on trade union renewal has challenged the discourse of a general decline of organised labour, focusing instead on innovative organising strategies, new forms of participation and campaigning in both the Global North and the Global South (Turner, Katz and Hurd, 2001; Clawson, 2003; Milkman, 2006; Agarwala, 2013; Murray, 2017). The focus of these studies has not been the institutional setting of labour relations or the overall impact of major trends like globalisation on labour, but rather the strategic choice in responding to new challenges and changing contexts. In the discussion on trade union renewal, the power resources approach (PRA) has emerged as a research heuristic. The PRA is founded on the basic premise that organised labour can successfully defend its interests by collective mobilisation of power resources. This idea has significantly shaped the way scholars are dealing with the issue of union revitalisation and labour conflict, as studies from different world regions have examined union renewal as a process of utilising existing power resources while attempting to develop new ones (Von Holdt and Webster, 2008; Chun, 2009; Dörre, 2010a; McCallum, 2013; Julian, 2014; Melleiro and Steinhilber, 2016; Lehndorff, Dribbusch and Schulten, 2017; Ludwig and Webster, 2017; Xu and Schmalz, 2017).
    [Show full text]
  • Collective Bargaining Agreement Between Kitsap
    COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT BETWEEN KITSAP COUNTY AND OPERATING ENGINEERS, LOCAL 302 TEAMSTERS, LOCAL 589 IAM & AW, DISTRICT 160, LOCAL 282 LABORERS UNION, LOCAL 252 KC-004-15 January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2016 Page intentionally left blank COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ARTICLE 1 – RECOGNITION .............................................................................................. 1 ARTICLE 2 – UNION SECURITY ......................................................................................... 1 ARTICLE 3 – UNION/EMPLOYER RELATIONS ................................................................. 2 ARTICLE 4 – DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................. 3 ARTICLE 5 – NON-DISCRIMINATION................................................................................. 5 ARTICLE 6 – MANAGEMENT RIGHTS ............................................................................... 5 ARTICLE 7 – GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE .......................................................................... 6 ARTICLE 8 – JOB VACANCIES .......................................................................................... 9 ARTICLE 9 – WORK PERFORMED IN HIGHER CLASSIFICATION ................................ 12 ARTICLE 10 – DISCIPLINE AND TERMINATION ............................................................. 13 ARTICLE 11 – PAY PERIOD ............................................................................................. 16 ARTICLE 12 – PAYROLL
    [Show full text]
  • Smart Industrial Relations Smart Production in the Manufactoring Industry and Work Organisations: New Scenarios for Industrial Relations
    Edited by IRES Lucia Morosini with contributions from European partners Smart Industrial Relations Smart Production in the manufactoring industry and work organisations: new scenarios for industrial relations Final Report December 2017 Smart Industrial Relations Smart Production in the manufacturing industry and work organizations: new scenarios for industrial relations Call for proposal: Improving expertise in the field of industrial relations Application reference: VP/2015/004/0091 Agreement reference: VS/2016/0093 SI2.729259 1 Table of Contents Project, Objectives and Actions ..................................................................................................................... 3 Researches, case studies and questionnaires ............................................................................................. 15 An analysis of Industry 4.0 in four European countries and insights on the future of employment, work organisation and industrial relations (Edited by IRES Morosini) Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 ITALY ................................................................................................................................................................ 23 GERMANY ........................................................................................................................................................ 30 SPAIN ..............................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Superintendents Who Successfully Negotiate Teacher Contracts
    1 SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF SUPERINTENDENTS WHO SUCCESSFULLY NEGOTIATE TEACHER CONTRACTS by Kelly A. Theurer Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University 2018 2 SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATIONS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF SUPERINTENDENTS WHO SUCCESSFULLY NEGOTIATE TEACHER CONTRACTS by Kelly A. Theurer A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA 2018 APPROVED BY: Andrea Beam, Ed.D., Committee Chair Timothy Nelson, Ed.D., Committee Member Michael Mensch, Ed.D., Committee Member 3 ABSTRACT New York State has a long history related to teachers’ unions. Superintendents are often the main players for school districts when negotiating teachers’ contracts. While much has been researched about negotiations, there is a gap in the literature in relation to the motivating factors of superintendents to successfully negotiate teachers’ contracts. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of school superintendents who have successfully negotiated teachers’ contracts within suburban areas of New York State. The central research question was: What are the lived experiences of school superintendents who have successfully negotiated teachers’ contracts in public school districts in suburban New York? Sub-questions explored motivations, external factors, and internal or personal characteristics of the superintendents who have lived experience. The theories guiding this study included the negotiation theory (Zartman, 1978) and the self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000b). The methodology that was utilized was a transcendental phenomenological design that includes purposeful sampling of participants, data collection obtained through questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis for 11 participants.
    [Show full text]
  • Resource Allocation in Traditional and Reform-Oriented Collective Bargaining Agreements
    RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN TRADITIONAL AND REFORM-ORIENTED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS Julia E. Koppich J. Koppich & Associates Working Paper 18 May 25, 2007 Working Paper 18 Koppich The School Finance Redesign Project The School Finance Redesign Project (SFRP) encompasses research, policy analysis, and public engagement activities that examine how K-12 finance can be redesigned to better support student performance. The project addresses the basic question, “How can resources help schools achieve the higher levels of student performance that state and national education standards now demand?” Check in with us periodically to see what we’re learning and how that information may re- shape education finance to make money matter for America's schools. You can find us at www.schoolfinanceredesign.org. Jacob Adams, Principal Investigator The SFRP Working Paper Series The Working Paper Series presents analyses that are complete but have not undergone peer review. The papers are subject to change and should be cited as working papers. Their purpose is to promote discussion and to solicit reactions. Support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation This work was supported by the School Finance Redesign Project at the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education through funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grant No. 29252. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not intended to represent the project, center, university, or foundation. Acknowledgment I wish to express my particular appreciation to Mitch Price, Legal Analyst for the Center on Reinventing Public Education, who investigated the extent to which state law in non-bargaining states mirrors contract provisions in collective bargaining states.
    [Show full text]
  • Symposium Workers' Collective Direct Action Responses To
    Symposium Proposal for Track 4: Regulating employment in Europe – processes, actors and governance Title: Workers’ Collective Direct Action Responses to Redundancy in European Union Economies Symposium Convenor: Professor Gregor Gall, Centre for Research in Employment Studies, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield. 1 Labour struggles against mass redundancies in France: how to understand direct action? Sylvie Contrepois, senior researcher, Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University, and CRESPPA-GTM CNRS institute (Paris). Warning : This is a very first draft. The second part and the conclusion still need to be translated and reworked. Several disputes against restructuring, mass redundancies and site closures have received considerable media attention in France over the last two years. Their radicalism and duration were often pointed out as a paradox in a context where official measures showed a general decline in collective conflicts and a tendency towards the individualisation of demands focused on appealing to the courts. The argument we are aiming to develop in this paper is that the situation is not so paradoxical, considering the nature of labour conflicts. These last are always a mix of individual and collective action, legal and direct action. Occupations, sit-down strikes or blockades are often parts of action processes and are more or less likely to happen depending on a large range of factors : efficiency of collective bargaining, prospects on the local labour market, union ability to organise actions. In the first part of this contribution, we will thus compare a range of data from different sources in order to approach the complex reality of labour conflicts. We will then turn, in a second part, to a case study that allows us to approach the interaction between different aspects of collective action against mass redundancies 1.
    [Show full text]