Date of Award

1987

Degree Name

EdD Doctor of Education

Dissertation Committee

William P. Foster, EdD, Director; Wallace F. Cohen, EdD; Ronald Hockwalt, EdD

Keywords

board of education, case study, Compulsory Interest arbitration, Connecticut, Leadership studies, public education, teacher associations

Abstract

Resolution of impasse disputes in public sector education has emerged as a growing concern in recent years. The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of compulsory final offer interest arbitration has served as a viable means of resolving conflicts between boards of education and teacher associations in Connecticut. Statistical examination of the ways in which contracts were settled, the types of issues arbitrated and the decisions of the arbitrator(s) was conducted on the 182 arbitration awards made between 1979-80 and 1984-85 in Connecticut. Additionally, interviews were conducted with members of the Department of Education's arbitration panel and other individuals involved in the process in Connecticut. Of the 23 areas of issues for arbitration it was found that salary, workday/year, medical insurance, and leaves of absence were the most frequently arbitrated issues when comparisons were done between areas. Also, in the area of arbitral decisions it was found that arbitrators tend to be more favorable toward the association when deciding issues pertaining to salary and more favorable toward the board when deciding issues pertaining to workday/year. No other significant differences were found. Additionally, the results of arbitrator interviews show that for the most part the process has worked well in Connecticut and that parties are generally in acceptance of compulsory arbitration for the resolution of contract disputes.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Education

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