Attitudes towards collective bargaining in Jesuit secondary schools in the United States
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the attitudes towards collective bargaining held by lay and religious administrators and teachers in the Jesuit secondary schools throughout the United States. Data were collected by means of a collective bargaining questionnaire which was mailed to all presidents and principals, religious teachers, and a random sample of lay teachers in 41 of the 44 Jesuit secondary schools in the United States. Responses were analyzed to determine the underlying factors that contributed to attitudes held towards collective bargaining. A 2 x 2 analysis of variance with position in the school (teacher or administrator) and vocational status (lay or religious) as the independent variables and the empirically derived attitude factor scores as the dependent variables was also performed to determine whether any significant differences existed between and among respondents. Factor analysis extracted five conceptually meaningful factors. Organizational Membership addressed whether religious and lay educators should share full equality in a bargaining unit. Religious Authority examined the degree of compliance expected of faculty to the authority of an authorized religious leader in labor negotiations. Organizational Divisiveness considered the degree of disharmony collective bargaining might cause within the schools and whether other structures might be more appropriate than full scale bargaining. Strikes and Their Consequences addressed the appropriateness of strikes as necessary for resolving labor disputes and the possible consequences that might result from their use. Provincial Intervention examined the potential role of the Jesuit Provincials in the collective bargaining process. Significant differences in attitudes towards collective bargaining emerged between lay and religious respondents on all five factors, and between administrators and teachers on all but one factor. For example, administrators and religious educators were more readily in agreement than were teachers and lay educators that collective bargaining would be divisiveness. Based on the consistency of differences that emerged, it can be concluded that collective bargaining may not presently be compatible with the spirit of collaboration that is an integral part of a Jesuit school.
Subject Area
School administration|Law|Labor relations
Recommended Citation
Perrotta, Robert Anthony, "Attitudes towards collective bargaining in Jesuit secondary schools in the United States" (1993). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9328420.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9328420
