NCJ Number
106601
Journal
Negotiation Journal Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1987) Pages: 141-146
Date Published
1987
Length
6 pages
Annotation
During a breakdown in negotiations between a faculty union and the college administration over wage and benefit demands, a few faculty members proposed an unusual solution to averting a strike: professors would award 'A's' to all students if the administration failed to negotiate in good faith by the end of the semester.
Abstract
This alternative is interesting because it requires an examination of both the structure and functions of education and an analysis that goes beyond the usual definitions of what it means to teach, test, evaluate, and certify students. This proposed solution applies to other work settings. By dissecting the work and identifying usually ignored components, it is possible to provide unique exits or selective work stoppages. Such job actions can serve as useful tools for discussion about the work and elucidate the interests and needs of both workers and management. While the proposed solution was never implemented and was both playful and potentially subversive, the invention of such creative alternatives can serve to move conflict toward settlement.