In the last few years, there appears to be a rise in the use of the work-to-rule strategy when negotiations stall. It is a bargaining tactic used by unions in which its members only perform those job responsibilities, the minimum required, that are clearly articulated in the collective bargaining agreement and/or in policy. It is hoped that the resulting slowdown will have a negative impact on the employer, thus creating a change in their bargaining position. In the case of education, work-to-rule is aimed at the service provided to students.
This tactic is not new in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It happened in 1998 and 2003.
http://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/cpp.37.4.479
Johnson, D. R. (2011). Do Strikes and Work-to-Rule Campaigns Change Elementary School Assessment Results?. Canadian Public Policy, 37(4), 479-494.
Here are some more articles:
Dekker, S. (2003). Failure to adapt or adaptations that fail: contrasting models on procedures and safety. Applied ergonomics, 34(3), 233-238.
Warton, P. M., Goodnow, J. J., Bowes, J. M., & Bowes, J. M. (1992). Teaching as a Form of Work: Effects of Teachers' Roles and Role Definitions on Working to Rule. Australian journal of education, 36(2), 170-180.
Arthur,
Many thanks for the sources. I look forward to reading them. Adding a Canadian perspective and experience will be most helpful.
Todd
We also did this at Rutgers, when our contractual raises were suspended in 2010. It REALLY gummed things up.
Catherine,
The application of work to rule in higher education is interesting given the large degree of autonomy that professors have. I would imagine that the focus was on shared governance issues. What kinds of activities were swept into your WtR?
It was tried at my university, Univ. of New Hampshire, but some of the actions such as teaching summer school ended up in an unfair labor practice.
This is an interesting avenue to explore.
Many thanks!!