Personality Testing by the Schools: A Possible Invasion of Privacy

Contemporary critics, concerned with the maintenance of personal privacy, have termed the use of personality tests a white glove rack and screw . Monroe H. Freedman, Dean of Hofstra University School of Law, while testifying before a congressional subcommittee, compared the use of psychological tests to the administration of truth serums and found both to be an affront to personal dignity. Nevertheless, the 1960\u27s witnessed a three-fold increase in the number of school counselors employed in most schools and a nation-wide survey of these counselors indicated that at least one-third of their time was spent in dealing with the personal problems of students. It was only to be expected that diagnostic aid would be sought more and more frequently in the form of structured forced-choice psychological inventories, especially in light of the intrinsic ease in administration and scoring of such tests. In 1973 in Morristown, Pennsylvania, the inevitable occurred: the inherent conflict between familial and individual privacy interests and the use of personality tests came to a head in the case of Merriken v. Cressman

The Role of Apologies in Labor Arbitration Outcomes

This article considers the extent to which apologies provided by grievants affect the rulings of labor arbitrators in discipline and discharge cases. We used an experimental survey design which asked respondents to render awards on hypothetical arbitration cases. Hypothetical cases varied across four variables of importance: (1) the (perceived) sincerity of an apology, (2) the timing of the apology, (3) the issue in the case—sexual harassment, insubordination due to refusal to work, and insubordination due to profanity, and (4) the seniority of the grievant. All members of the National Academy of Arbitrators were surveyed, which provided a total of 177 respondents and 1773 hypothetical case decisions. The data show sincere apologies can greatly increase the probability of an arbitrator ruling in favor of the grievant. Apologies perceived as sincere lead to favorable outcomes for grievants, more than apologies seen as insincere. However, contrary to the findings of past studies, we found that the timing of an apology does not matter. Whether an apology is offered early or late has little impact on arbitrator rulings. Overall, the data suggest that at least one subjective factor, an apology, plays a large role in determining arbitral outcomes. Our study also found that seniority, which is an objective, case-related factor, is important. In summary, our findings provide quantitative support for theories on how arbitrators weigh subjective factors, or non-case related factors, when deciding cases

The Changing of the Guard: The New American Labor Leader

This article analyzes recent changes in the leadership of international unions. There has been a trend toward leaders who are lifetime bureaucrats rather than rank-and-file members with charisma. This change toward more technocratic leadership is due to the different environment and new challenges that labor currently faces. The United Mine Workers is a good example of a union that has had many changes in the type of person who has become president, from the labor giant John L. Lewis to the 33-year-old lawyer Richard Trumka. The United Auto Workers is an example of a union whose leadership has been consistently drawn from the union hierarchy. The AFL-CIO has made a change in leadership from George Meany to the labor bureaucrat Lane Kirkland. There will probably be an increase in the number of women and minorities in top leadership positions in unions, but this will be a gradual increase.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66627/2/10.1177_000271628447300107.pd

Data Confidentiality, Social Research and The Government

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