THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADVERSARIAL EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS AND BOARDS OF EDUCATION IN UTAH, 1940-1970 (UNIONISM, EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Utah public school teachers have passed historically from an era where there was an almost total deference to school board policy to one where teachers insist on having input to such policy. The employment relationship between school boards and teachers changed from what has been described as a "master-servant" model to the present system of legal equals who negotiate the differences that invariably occur between them.;The present study follows that change historically, examining the basis for the former practice and documenting the causes of change as it took place between 1940 and 1970. Early state and national influences such as Mormonism and union philosophy are studied for the effect they may have had on the changed employment relationship.;It was found that there were four periods of intense conflict that led sequentially to the ultimate adoption of a union style of organization and practice among Utah teachers. Throughout these periods of conflict there were factors that gave intensity to the kind of confrontations that were totally unexpected from a rural and traditionally conservative setting such as Utah.;The conclusions reached were that the adversarial employment relationship was adopted by Utah teachers due to the factors mentioned above. For example, Utah had a much greater than average percentage of male teachers. The Utah Education Association was organized in a centrally cohesive manner. Utah teachers compared their situation unfavorably with teachers in surrounding states. School finance was undergoing a shift during this time from local to state to national sources permitting confrontation to move also from the local to the state level, and teacher supply had changed from one of shortage to one of excess. Each of these factors had a greater or lesser effect on the employment relationship as it changed.