working paper

A Framework for Evaluation of the Union-Management Relationship in Government

Publication Date

October 31, 1976

Author(s)

Areas of Expertise

Abstract

In the present study, a framework is developed for evaluating the union management relationship in government based broadly on the concept of organizational effectiveness. A number of previous evaluative studies of the union management relationship are first examined to demonstrate some of the inadequacies of alternative approaches as well as the differences between these approaches and the framework we develop. The conceptual rationale for using organizational effectiveness as the yardstick against which to evaluate the union-management relationship is then discussed. We conclude with a discussion of the utility of the framework for evaluating union-management relationships in government.

The impact of the union-management relationship on government effectiveness cannot be underestimated. Newland (1971) argues that “collective bargaining must serve as one of several vehicles for creative change…if it is to be compatible with future public interests” (p. i). A variety of assessments indicate, however, that collective bargaining in government has been, rather than a vehicle for creative change, an instrument for achieving partisan interests (Doherty, 1971; Nigro, 1972; Perry & Levine, 1976; Shaw & Clark, 1972). As long as public managers pit public employees against citizens or public employee unions pit the public against management, labor-management relations in government will have decidedly negative impacts on the parties, the public, and the political system. Methods are needed for re-integrating management, employee, and citizen interests. The evaluative framework we propose highlights the multiplicity of interests that must be balanced through the union-management relationship. It also identifies explicit criteria for which all the parties in public sector bargaining should be held accountable.

Framework for participatory evaluation of greenery screens in environmental justice communities

Status

In Progress

Project Timeline

January 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Principal Investigator

Campus(es)

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Project Summary

A growing strategy to mitigate environmental harms is the implementation of green infrastructure in high-pollution zones, such as greenery screens, vegetation barriers, and living walls. This study synthesizes the outcomes of existing projects and proposes an evaluation framework that centers community participation. Greenery screens and sound walls are intended to mitigate noise and air pollution, which can reduce health disparities and improve quality of life in surrounding communities. Additional co-benefits may be observed when considering the role of this infrastructure during extreme weather events, such as flooding, extreme heat, and poor air quality from wildfires. Within the sustainability framework known as the triple bottom line, some studies have begun to examine the environmental, social, and financial benefits of green infrastructure, but initial findings on the effectiveness of greenery screens remain inconclusive. Expanding this framework to include the principles of equitable evaluation, methodological advancements are needed to account not only for distributional equity, but structural and procedural equity, as well. For example, integrating the cumulative impact assessments required by the National Environmental Policy Act into the infrastructure evaluation process could be one means of addressing structural equity, and practicing living labs where community members collect and interpret data from sensors tracking environmental determinants of health could be a technique to incorporate procedural equity into the evaluation process. The proposed systematic literature review will result in actionable strategies for working in collaboration with low-income communities of color who have been disproportionally harmed by freeway infrastructure to advance environmental justice. Findings from this study will provide recommendations to policymakers and analysts committed to advancing distributional, structural, and procedural equity.

Aircraft Navigation via Opportunistic Radio Frequency Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Status

Complete

Project Timeline

November 15, 2021 - September 30, 2023

Principal Investigator

Project Team

Alex Nguyen

Project Summary

This two-year project will develop novel navigation strategies for aircraft in GNSS-denied environments, exploiting ambient terrestrial signals of opportunity.

Development of New Privacy-preserving Method for Traffic Data Collection and Analysis

Status

In Progress

Project Timeline

August 1, 2021 - September 30, 2023

Principal Investigator

Areas of Expertise

Campus(es)

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Project Summary

Traditional methods for data collection, such as the National Household Travel Survey, focus on trips by a small sample of either travelers, locations, or times. With the prevalence of GPS devices and smartphones, big transportation data from more travelers and locations over longer timespans are more readily available and can substantially help to improve the management, planning, and design of transportation systems. However, travelers, private companies, and public agencies are reluctant to share such data due to privacy concerns. This project will develop a new privacy-preserving method for collecting and analyzing traffic data. This method is based on a new framework for transportation system analysis, in which a network is considered a single entity, and trips are tracked in a relative space with respect to the remaining distance to individual travelers’ destinations. Such data are sufficient for characterizing traffic dynamics but without revealing Personally Identifiable Location Information. This method works for either a city road network or freeway corridors, as well as for multimodal trips. The project will systematically calibrate and validate the new method and will discuss the policy implications for data collection and analysis for California’s traffic systems.

CARMEN-Chen

Status

In Progress

Project Timeline

January 1, 2021 - August 31, 2023

Principal Investigator

Project Team

Areas of Expertise

Campus(es)

Information and Computer Science

CARMEN-Jayakrishnan

Status

In Progress

Project Timeline

January 1, 2021 - August 31, 2022

Principal Investigator

Areas of Expertise

Campus(es)

Civil and Environmental Engineering

CARMEN-Ritchie

Status

In Progress

Project Timeline

January 1, 2021 - August 31, 2022

Principal Investigator

Areas of Expertise

Campus(es)

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Academic Advisory Panel: Peer Review and Validation of the Five Big Moves

Status

Complete

Project Timeline

February 19, 2020 - November 30, 2020

Principal Investigator

Project Summary

This project focused on providing SANDAG with the latest research, data, and tools that can be used to support the development of the SANDAG 2021 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), with a focus on identifying how the advances in technology, coupled with public policy can enable the region to rethink and to maximize the coordination between land use and transportation planning and, in particular, operationalizing off-model methodologies for use in SANDAG’s submission of the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) methodology to the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Investigation of Heavy-Duty Vocational Vehicle Usage and Suitability of Aerodynamic Improvement Devices

Status

Complete

Project Timeline

June 30, 2017 - April 1, 2019

Principal Investigator

Campus(es)

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Project Summary

This study seeks to paint a clear picture of the types of vocational class 4 – 6 vehicles, with 14,001 to 26,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight rating, operating in the state of California, how they are used, and by whom.   Furthermore, it will seek to answer questions about the number of Class 4-6 box type vehicles operating within in the state, how many drive at high and low speeds and daily distances they operate within.  This information will be gathered through a survey and data collection exercise and combined in a way that ARB can better understand the statewide impact, aerodynamic improvement devices could have on heavy-duty vocational vehicle fuel economy.