Collective Bargaining
Two facts are essential to understanding why labor relations is extremely critical to your district:
(1) Every school district in the state of New Jersey has teachers represented by a labor union; and
(2) Approximately 80% of the typical school district’s operating budget (and in many cases, more) is devoted to employee compensation.
Thus, your collective bargaining agreements significantly affect your district’s ability to provide a sound education program.
NJSBA has resources to help your board better understand the process and achieve its goals in the bargaining process.
NJSBA’s Labor Relations team offers a wide range of services. You can find more information on these services below.
Labor relations can be a formidable undertaking, especially in the highly charged and financially restrictive environment under which boards of education currently operate.”
– “Labor Relations for School Board Members,” NJSBA
Negotiations Data Portal
NJSBA’s members-only comprehensive database of teacher contract bargaining data offers a host of benefits, including settlement rates and board achievements, salary guide data and longevity summaries, a compilation of teachers collective negotiation agreements, and a report generator that allows you to select the parameters of the settlement and salary guide data reports with the ability to download your selection into a spreadsheet or a report.
NJSBA conducted a webinar tutorial on how to use the Negotiations Data Portal with the custom report generator. Access the 48-minute tutorial here.
Labor Relations
Below are selected articles from School Leader and School Board Notes about labor relations. Interested readers can also use the general search function on this website to access additional articles and information.
- School Leader: Principles of Negotiating with District Unions.
- Labor Lookout: Recent Trends in Collective Negotiations.
Settlement Rates in Perspective
NJSBA’s latest data for teacher contract settlements.
Related Resources: Videos, Webinars and Podcasts
Check out additional NJSBA video and audio programs pertaining to labor relations.
