How do teachers in states where striking is not allowed negotiate contracts?
Of the 35 states with laws that govern collective bargaining, 22 prohibit teachers strikes, according to the Education Commission of the States. That puts Pennsylvania on a short list of 13 states that allow them. Among those that prohibit strikes are: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Each has its own rules for negotiating. Some, such as Connecticut, ban strikes in favor of binding arbitration. In some states that prohibit strikes, teacher salaries are set by the state, said Fields, of the school boards association. New Jersey changed its bargaining process in 2003. It set up a negotiating structure that ends with something called ”super conciliation” in which a mediator is appointed who has the authority to lock both sides in a room until they reach an agreement, said Steve Baker, spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association. Before things get to that stage, the two sides must go through face-to-face talks, mediation and fact-
