Labor Relations Policy for Public Employees: A Legal Perspective

Abstract

Because approximately one-sixty of the nation\u27s nonagricultural work force are public employees and because labor strife in public employment is increasing each year, the need for thoughtful examiniation of public policy in this vital area is manifest. The purpose of this article is to provide a basic legal framework to which the labor relations posture of the public employee can be related. Hopefully this can be accomplished by focusing on two separate but related areas. One concerns the oft told story of the evolution of labor-management relations policy for the private sector, while the other deals withe the law\u27s changing role in certain aspects of public employee labor relations