bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unions and Welfare Reform
Authors: Simmons Louise
Published: April 2013

Welfare reform has many implications for the labor movement in terms of erosion of public benefits, privatization, mandated em ployment in low wage jobs or workfare, and other effects. Labor can address these challenges through several strategies including: organizing workfare workers, raising wage standards through living wage campaigns and effective policy advocacy with other progres sive organizations, and designing better programs to serve welfare clients. Several examples of labor's involvement in the arena of welfare policy are examined, including workfare organizing, par ticipation in welfare rights coalitions and collaborating with ser vice providers. As Congress considers reauthorization of the Tem porary Assistance to Needy Families Program in 2002, labor's per spectives can be extremely valuable in the policy debate.
Local versus Global
Authors: Lévesque Christian , Murray Gregor
Published: April 2013

Globalization alters the balance of power between unions and em ployers. In decentralized bargaining regimes, local unions are there fore compelled to reexamine the resources that they can mobilize in their power relationships. This article offers a framework to conceptualize the power resources available to local unions. This strategic triangle for local union renewal includes three types of power resources: proactivity or agenda; internal solidarity or de mocracy ; and external solidarity, both with other unions and with the community and other social groups. It is argued that in a glo bal economy, union renewal or revitalization strategies require lo cal unions to develop and mobilize these interdependent power resources in order to achieve positive bargaining and political out comes.
AFL-CIO China Policy
Authors: Frutiger Dean
Published: April 2013

The issues of most favored nation (MFN) status and permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with China have sparked a great deal of discussion within not only U.S. labor circles, but Ameri can society as a whole. The AFL-CIO, as the central voice of U.S. labor, has taken a particularly vehement stand against normalizing trade relations with China based on China's abysmal human rights record. This article is an attempt to examine that stand in relation to the AFL-CIO's history of Cold War, anti-communist activism, and the nature of free trade as put forth by such international economic entities as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the World Bank. Is it fair for the AFL-CIO to single out China for issues that most members of the WTO and World Bank are themselves guilty of, too? Does the AFL-CIO's stance against China represent a progressive con cem for human rights, or is it a throwback to the Cold War era policies of the Meany/Kirkland years? The following article is a modest attempt to examine these questions.
Building Union Power Through the Supply Chain
Authors: Lund John , Wright Christopher
Published: April 2013

The trend towards increasing integration within the grocery sup ply chain is identified and its implications for trade union organiz ing explored. While offering greater efficiencies and reduced costs for employers, supply chain integration may also offer unions a new lever for organizing. The article outlines a methodology for mapping union coverage and highlights potential impediments to union organizing such as contracting out and jurisdictional dis putes. Unions need to adopt a strategic approach to organizing and the early resolution of jurisdictional conflicts in order to take full advantage of current changes within the grocery supply chain.
"I Know What It's Like to Struggle"
Authors: Tannock Stuart , Flocks Sara
Published: April 2013

Working youth over the age of 17 are the forgotten workers of 21st century America. To draw attention to this group of workers, we report a study of the work experiences of young (ages 18-25) com munity college students in Northern California—students who are predominantly working class, immigrant and people of color, and who have long histories of cycling back and forth between work and school. We describe the workplace demands and needs of these working students. And, we call on educators, unionists, policy makers, community, and youth organizers to address and improve the conditions of all working youth.
Getting In: The Experience of Minority Graduates of the Building Bridges Project Pre- Apprenticeship Class
Authors: Worthen Helena , Haynes Anthony
Published: April 2013

The Chicago-area Building Bridges Project is a cooperative effort involving construction trades unions, churches in minority com munities, and the Chicago Interfaith Committee. Goals of the project are to increase awareness of union apprenticeship programs in minority communities, broaden access to those programs, and to organize construction work in these same communities. This study focuses on the experience of graduates of the Building Bridges Project pre-apprenticeship class as they apply to apprenticeship programs. It reports the ongoing negotiations among partners in the project as they identify, explain, and, in some cases, address factors that emerge as barriers to access to those programs. It ar gues that the key factor in the success of the project is that it is guided by the primary goal of organizing.
Graduate Student Unions
Authors: Lafer Gordon
Published: April 2013

The past few years have witnessed a dramatic boom in organizing among academic employees, particularly graduate student teach ers. This movement has come in response to trends toward corporatization of higher education over the past twenty years, trends including casualization of teaching staff, commercialization of research, and commodification of instruction. The graduate student movement won an important victory in 2001 when the NLRB recognized the employee status of teaching assistants on private sector campuses. Administrators are now working to undo this precedent and hoping for help from a Bush Labor Board. Graduate student successes have helped spur increased organizing among adjunct instructors and faculty. As we look to the near future, the central question is whether the union movement will be able to reverse the trends of corporatization that threaten to fundamentally reshape American universities.
The Cowboy Mentality
Authors: Rooks Daisy
Published: April 2013

This paper details the experiences of union organizers in Sweeney's "new labor movement." It examines the occupational demands that organizers must contend with, such as extensive travel, long hours and emotionally demanding work. The author then describes the occupational culture of organizing, otherwise known as "the cow boy mentality." Far from a centrally coordinated retention strat egy, the cowboy mentality is a set of assumptions about organizing being more than a job, being superior to other forms of work in the labor movement, and being best experienced with an intensity resembling a military boot camp. The author then demonstrates how the cowboy mentality paradoxically strengthens the occupa tional commitment of some organizers, while alienating and ex cluding others. Interviews with organizers reveal that women and people of color are most likely to be alienated by the cowboy men tality, thus undermining new labor's efforts to diversify the move ment.
Helping New Organizers Survive and Thrive in the Field: The Essential Role of Training and Mentoring
Authors: Feekin Lynn , Widenor Marcus
Published: April 2013

The labor movement's attempt to reinvigorate its organizing pro gram has resulted in the recruitment of hundreds of new organiz ers. Despite this renewed dedication of resources to organizing, the turnover rate of entry level organizers remains high. This paper examines the organizing training and retention efforts of local unions affiliated with five internationals. Through interviews with organizing directors, lead organizers and new field organizers, we explore the training needs and expectations of new organizers. We identify how their initial training in the field and ongoing support relate to their success and retention. We recommend a much higher level of support of new organizers, including ongoing educational opportunities and the establishment of personalized mentoring relationships with experienced staff.
Déjà Vu All Over Again: The "New" Economy in Historical Perspective
Authors: Kotz David M. , Wolfson Martin H.
Published: April 2013

The American public has been bombarded with the idea that the introduction of information technology created a "New Economy" in the U.S. in the 1990s. It is claimed that "free-market" institutional changes are required to take advantage of the new information technologies, and that combining those institutional changes with the new technology has ushered in a new era of unprecedented prosperity. We take issue with those claims in this paper. Our central thesis is that the institutional changes associated with the New Economy are a veiled attack on trade unions and working people. These changes are not new, they are not required by the new technology, and they have not led to unprecedented prosperity. Moreover, the free market has not brought prosperity in the past, either. During periods in which the free market has predominated, the U.S. economy has performed relatively poorly and exhibited considerable instability. Throughout U.S. history, free-market, anti-labor regimes have alternated with periods in which government and workers have restrained the worst excesses of the free market and established basic rights and protections. Viewed in historical perspective, the institutional structure of the New Economy may well turn out to be a relatively temporary phenomenon.
PACE International Union vs. Imerys Groupe: An Organizing Campaign Case Study
Authors: Brown Edwin L. , Chang Tracy F. H.
Published: April 2013

This paper analyzes a case study of a campaign in rural Alabama in 2000, when the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) organized against the French-based Imerys Groupe (the product of the 1999 merger of English China Clays and Imetal). Within days of the merger, Imerys withdrew recognition and implemented new terms and conditions of employment at the former Imetal plant where PACE had repre sented the workforce. PACE at once developed a systematic three- part plan of action to counter the company's strategy. The three interdependent parts included: a) the traditional, local campaign in Alabama; b) regulatory challenges through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Europe; and c) the international campaign coordinated through the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and Gen eral Workers Union (ICEM) in Washington, D.C., Brussels, Bel gium, Paris, and London. We discuss the tactics and strategy that led to PACE's winning campaign against the multinational corpo rate behavior that U.S.-based unions increasingly face.
In-sourcing as a Strategy for Reclaiming Union Work
Authors: Zullo Roland
Published: April 2013

Drawing on examples from the automobile and medical products industries, this paper outlines an approach for confronting outsourcing. Two dimensions define the approach. The first in volves a direct challenge to the costing method used by manage ment in make-or-buy decisions; for various reasons, management often employs a flawed comparison method that unfairly burdens in-house operations. The second dimension involves a shop-level process for systematically collecting data on the full range of costs associated with outsourcing, and then incorporating such costs into the make-or-buy comparison. This paper concludes that the present economic conditions of diminished capacity utilization and layoffs present an opportunity for unions to in-source work and reemploy union members.
Union Renewal and the Organizing Model in the United Kingdom
Authors: Fiorito Jack
Published: April 2013

This paper summarizes research that focuses on the process of "union renewal" currently underway in many unions. The research is based on survey responses and interviews involving United Kingdom (U.K.) union officers and staff and uses information gathered dur ing late 2000 and early 2001. This paper also addresses the related issue of "organizing model" adoption in the United Kingdom. Most U.K. unionists see organizing the unorganized as a critical aspect of union renewal, but many are skeptical about the value of the organizing model as a guiding philosophy or model. Most of them are, however, optimistic about their unions' futures, especially when they see their leadership committed to organizing and union re newal. Conversely, where pessimism exists, leadership is often cited as a key problem. A final section of the paper considers the find ings in relation to alternative theoretical perspectives on unions.
Newspaper Coverage of the U.S. Labor Movement: The Case of Anti-Union Firings 1
Authors: Carreiro Joshua L.
Published: April 2013

If the news media covered anti-labor events such as anti-union fir ings, the publicity potentially could galvanize community support for workers' unionization efforts. But, when workers are illegally fired for supporting a union, do the news media cover the story? And if they do, under what circumstances? Utilizing the LexisNexis database of newspapers, I systematically searched for and analyzed the extent and nature of news media coverage of anti-union firings. The findings reveal that the news media consistently ignore anti-union firings. When covered, anti-union firings are treated as individualized and isolated events, diminishing the potential impact of the coverage on the public's understanding of U.S. labor movement struggles. The results suggest that the U.S. labor movement faces unique obstacles to gaining favorable news coverage.
Driving Street Justice: The Taxicab Driver As The Last American Cowboy
Authors: Hoffmann Elizabeth A.
Published: April 2013

This research explores workers' solidarity and shared culture in the cab driving industry, using theories of distributive justice and relational justice. Cab driving culture involves a high level of worker solidarity, with drivers relying on fellow drivers for assistance, working together in the face of conflict, and imposing various forms of social control when the cab driving community's norms are violated. This article operationalizes such actions as "street justice." Through both individual and group acts of street justice, the cabdrivers promote the main goals of their occupation's culture: justice and safety.
Capital Mobility, Job Loss, and Union Strategy
Authors: Danford Andy , Richardson Mike , Stewart Paul , Tailby Stephanie , Upchurch Martin
Published: April 2013

Drawing on case study data, this article analyzes contrasting workplace union responses to organizational restructuring in the United Kingdom's aerospace industry. It critically evaluates two distinct union strategies that resonate with contemporary debates governing the future role of trade unions in the British workplace. The first response is based on “partnership” with management while the second reflects traditional “oppositionalism” via the assertive defense of rank-and-file member interests. The article highlights inherent weaknesses in partnership strategies arising from problems of management intention and union incorporation. By contrast, while militant opposition was more successful in constraining the exercise of managerial prerogatives, the traditions of “sectionalism” (or “localism”) in plant-based union organizing meant that this strategy was limited to securing a partial and transient defense of jobs and labor standards.
Canada's East Asian Transplants Reach Maturity
Authors: Yanarella Ernest J.
Published: April 2013

Most East Asian auto transplants in North America are now a quarter-century or more old. This perspective should now allow their evolution from the original post-Fordist model and their impact on surrounding local and regional economies to be subjects for comparative analysis. This article seeks to contribute to this research task by assessing one joint venture and three auto transplants—the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, the Toyota plant in Cambridge, Ontario, the Honda plant in Alliston, Ontario, and the Hyundai plant in Bromont. Based on fieldwork and interviews in Canada in 1991 and 2004, it seeks to evaluate the promise and fulfillment and the successes and shortfalls of these four plants as instruments of work reorganization and business management and as catalysts of local and regional economic development.
Results from a Survey of Medical Residents' Attitudes about Unions
Authors: Kaplan Jonathan L. , Hoell Robert C. , Marr Alan B. , Weintraub Sharon , O'Leary J. Patrick , Hunt John P.
Published: April 2013

A study was conducted to evaluate medical residents' attitudes toward unionization and to measure issues a residency union might pursue. Medical residents are in a transitory state between graduate student and working professional, giving them little voice in the workplace. It is possible that medical residents could be the next “niche” area for unions seeking to grow their membership. A Web-based survey was e-mailed to residents throughout the country. There were 578 responses, with residents strongly desiring health and malpractice insurance as well as free parking. The results also showed that although 82 percent would consider joining a union, only a third would help organize and form that union. Given these conflicting results, the unionization of medical residents would require new organizing techniques geared specifically for these employees.
Virginia Is for Business
Authors: Dennis Michael
Published: April 2013

According to business pundits of the 1990s, the United States had finally liberated itself from the shackles of an Old Economy. Technology, entrepreneurialism, and the reduction of social regulations promised to restore American economic competitiveness. Nowhere else in the United States did this ideology achieve greater legitimacy than in the American South, where traditional southern conservatism merged with corporate neoliberalism to produce a potent ideological compound. Despite the enthusiasm for the New Economy, the driving force of public policy in the region had a decidedly Old Economy tack to it. At the center of economic development strategy was the willingness to use huge subsidies to lure mobile corporations to invest. The corporate subsidies program reflected the key assumptions of the New Economy ideology. Despite the overheated claims, the strategy failed to deliver freedom or prosperity to southern workers.
The American Federation of Teachers in the Middle East
Authors: Sukarieh Mayssoun , Tannock Stuart
Published: April 2013

The American Federation of Teachers’ (AFT) international program is one of the largest of any labor union in the United States, running operations in countries around the world, from Bolivia to Burma and Kenya to Kazakhstan. In this article, the authors analyze the AFT’s recent interventions in the Middle East and, in particular, Lebanon. Contrary to the AFT’s high-minded rhetoric of global labor solidarity, philanthropic goodwill, and democracy promotion, the authors argue that the AFT’s Middle East programs serve U.S. government foreign policy interests in maintaining and extending American control and influence over the region.
Workers' Rights as Human Rights
Authors: Savage Larry
Published: April 2013

In the wake of a series of prolabor Supreme Court decisions in Canada, the mantra of “workers' rights as human rights” has gained unprecedented attention in the Canadian labor movement. This article briefly reviews the Canadian labor movement's recent history with the Supreme Court before arguing that elite-driven judicial strategies, advocated by several academics and Canadian unions, threaten, over time, to depoliticize traditional class-based approaches to advancing workers' rights. The argument is premised on the notion that liberal human rights discourse does little to address the inequalities in wealth and power that polarize Canadian society along class lines.
Are “the Poor” Part of the Working Class or in a Class by Themselves?
Authors: Metzgar Jack
Published: April 2013

Drawing on the work of political economist Michael Zweig and sociologist Michele Lamont, as well as other sociological work on working-class life, this reflective essay argues for eliminating “the poor” as a social category but explains why that will be difficult due to both working-class and middle-class ways of construing classes in the United States.
Long Live the Statistical Middle Class!
Authors: Pizzigati Sam
Published: April 2013

Many labor activists consider “middle class” a sloppy formulation that serves to marginalize working-class history and heritage—and obfuscate the exploitation of one class by another. But “middle class,” as a concept, actually does double duty. The middle class exists as both a historic construct and a statistical reality. Middle-class people, statistically speaking, earn incomes squarely in the middle of a society’s income distribution. The higher the share of a society’s populace that falls within a “middle class” range, researchers on economic inequality have shown, the healthier the society for working people—and everyone else as well.
“Not Ready to Make Nice”
Authors: Bielski Boris Monica , Bruno Robert
Published: April 2013

This article is based on a political survey of 600 members of the United Steelworkers (USW) in three battleground states (Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) and focus group interviews with USW local leadership and activist members. The focus of the research is on assessing union member perceptions of the three top candidates from the 2008 presidential primaries (Hillary Clinton, Barrack Obama, and John McCain) and how these perceptions were influenced by race, class, and gender. The survey provided data on how respondents voted during the primary and on their issue positions, with particular attention to the issues they deemed most important in determining their vote. Respondents were also asked about other factors that influenced their vote, including their own demographic profile, union and work backgrounds, and their perspective on personal characteristics of the candidates. Analysis of the survey data and focus group interviews revealed that while race and gender did influence voting behavior, class identity also mattered greatly as union members demonstrated a strong preference for a partisan, working-class advocate.
Organized Labor, Nuclear Power, and Environmental Justice: A Comparative Analysis of the Canadian and U.S. Labor Movements
Authors: Savage Larry , Soron Dennis
Published: April 2013

This article engages in a comparative analysis of the U.S. and Canadian labor movements’ attitudes toward nuclear power, in both historical and contemporary periods, with a view to explaining the divergent policy positions on nuclear power adopted by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the AFL-CIO, respectively. The contrasting views of the AFL-CIO and CLC, it is argued, arise not simply from differing levels of commitment to the principles of social unionism, but from a more complex mesh of ideological, pragmatic, and institutional factors related to union-party relationships and other important differences pertaining to the culture, membership composition, organizational maintenance requirements, and decision-making power bases in both labor organizations.
Changing the Climate: Ecoliberalism, Green New Dealism, and the Struggle over Green Jobs in Canada
Authors: Nugent James Patrick
Published: April 2013

Labor-environmentalism has been a strategic response of Canadian unions to the dual manufacturing and climate-change crisis. Important ideological work led organized labor in Canada to endorse the Kyoto Protocol. But the deepening manufacturing crisis of the 2000s tested the resolve of unions to challenge the “jobs-versus-the-environment” dichotomy and to support stringent greenhouse gas emissions reductions. I explain contrasting responses of the Canadian Auto Workers and the United Steelworkers. I critique the dominant discourse of ecological modernization championed by the state-capital alliance for being neoliberal, and evaluate the degree to which this is challenged by the USW’s call for a Green New Deal.
Public Perceptions of Trade Unions in Countries of the European Union
Authors: Turner Thomas , D’Art Daryl
Published: April 2013

Given the ideological, political, and economic structural changes in the latter part of the twentieth century it might be expected that the demand for trade unions has significantly declined. Using a European-wide survey, this article addressed the extent to which European citizens perceive a need for trade unions. Our results indicate that contrary to expectations, a substantial majority of respondents perceived a need for strong trade unions to protect their pay and working conditions. Attitudinal formation appears to be more influenced by individual characteristics than either structural or institutional regimes, at least in a European context. Conversely the institutional measures of union presence and country of origin substantially account for the factors that determine why employees with favorable perceptions of trade unions become a union member. Among employees the extent to which positive attitudes converts into actual union membership appears to be critically dependent on a union-friendly institutional regime.
Art as Activism
Authors: Guard Julie , Martin D’Arcy , McGauley Laurie , Steedman Mercedes , Garcia-Orgales Jorge
Published: April 2013

Popular theater has significant, although largely overlooked, potential as a tool for unions to raise members’ political consciousness and strengthen their relationship to the union movement. Activist theater validates workers’ own knowledge, builds workers’ solidarity and self-confidence, and fosters an activist culture. It can also raise gender consciousness within unions. It has particular value for unions attempting to organize precarious workplaces such as call centers, where workers are especially vulnerable and often unfamiliar with unions and union culture. The experience of one group of workers demonstrates how popular theater can be integrated into the labor movement’s repertoire of strategies for building solidarity and revitalizing unions.
Faculty Union and Faculty Senate Co-Existence
Authors: Bucklew Neil , Houghton Jeffery D. , Ellison Christopher N.
Published: April 2013

This paper examines the intersection between faculty unions and faculty senates along with the costs and benefits that each pays and receives relative to one another. More specifically, the authors examine the impact of academic collective bargaining on shared governance traditions, providing an analysis of whether the relationship of unions and governance systems has been symbiotic or non-symbiotic. The authors also explore the overall beneficial and negative outcomes of academic collective bargaining in higher education before developing and presenting a framework of four models of academic collective bargaining that offers historical descriptive value as well as prescriptions for academic collective bargaining in the future. The paper makes a significant contribution to the faculty governance and higher education collective bargaining literature by being among the first to provide a comprehensive review of the faculty governance literature over the last four decades and to present an integrative framework of the possible relationships between faculty unions, faculty senates, and institutions of higher education.
Fanning the Flames (After Lighting the Spark): Multi-Trade COMET Programs
Authors: Grabelsky Jeff , Pagnucco Adam , Rockafellow Steve
Published: April 2013

The COMET (Construction Organizing Membership Education Train ing) is an educational program utilized by building trades unions to gen erate rank-and-file support for organizing new members. Since 1996, the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO has been sponsoring COMET training in multi-trade settings for its 15 affiliates. Between 1997 and 1998, the Department undertook a systematic evalu ation of its multi-trade COMET programs to determine their impact on attitudes toward organizing as well as on the nature and extent of orga nizing activities. This article summarizes the lessons the Department learned. Among other conclusions, the evaluation reaffirmed that COMET training is an effective way to build internal support for external organiz ing and that local unions using the COMET appear to be more deeply engaged in organizing than those not using this program.
The CWA Model of Membership-based Organizing
Authors: Nissen Bruce , Rosen Seth
Published: April 2013

This article examines an organizing program utilizing existing union members in the community as the primary method of organizing. District 4 of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) is used as a case to uncover and demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to organizing the unorganized. The history of CWA and District 4 organizing efforts is presented, followed by a detailed explanation of the current CWA District 4 organizing network. Results over a seven- year period are elucidated; they show consistent growth in both organiz ing efforts and successes, although results are only modestly successful. Advantages of this method of organizing over conventional efforts are examined in the areas of leadership development, positive spillover into local union life, stronger community ties, stronger "first contract struggles," efficient use of resources, growth in long-term organizing capacity, abil ity to think and act long term, and geographical dispersion. The article ends with an analysis of the limitations of this model of union organizing, cautioning that it is not a "magic bullet" that will solve the many prob lems facing organizing efforts in the U.S. today.
Global Unionism-Beyond the Rhetoric: The CWA North Atlantic Alliance
Authors: Borgers Frank
Published: April 2013

This article examines the organizational challenges faced by labor as it moves beyond the rhetoric of globalization and starts the urgent task of building global capacity and power. The Communication Workers of America's "North Atlantic Alliance" with the British Telecomrnunica tions Workers Union and the Society of Telecom Executives is presented as an example of global capacity building. While the Alliance represents a positive development, analysis of its organizational structure reveals some of the challenges facing labor as it attempts to build global union ism. The challenges addressed include: building a rank-and-file curricu lum around the question of globalization that provides hope and a sense of power, and that builds support for international programs among the membership; gaining meaningful organizational support and resources for international programs; the design of appropriate transnational commit ments ; the implications of international market turmoil for labor's ability to build global capacity; and the role of international trade secretariats in transnational alliances.
Strike Law and ADR in Hungary: A Model for Labor Movements in Central and Eastern Europe?
Authors: Fine Cory R.
Published: April 2013

After nearly a decade of democratic transition in Central and East ern Europe, researchers have presented Hungary as a model of societal transition in a several areas, including labor relations, dispute resolution and the development of independent labor movements. With regard to these spheres of activity, this article assesses whether Hungary's new labor system stands up to its reputation as a regional model. This article addresses the historical and transitional advances of Hungary's labor dis pute resolution system, its impact on worker rights and the effect, or potential effect of alternative dispute resolution on the development of Hungary's emerging labor movement.
Workers Compensation Reform Past and Present: An Analysis of Issues and Changes in Benefits
Authors: Boyd Lawrence W.
Published: April 2013

This research uses national data to analyze the effects of two cycles of workers compensation reform. One, during the 1970s, raised benefits for injured workers. The second, in the 1990s, was aimed at cutting workers' compensation costs. The research decomposes workers compen sation costs into variables directly controlled by legislatures, and vari ables that legislatures have no control over, to more easily analyze the direction that each reform took. The central finding of this research is that reforms of the nineties primarily effected medical care and access to the system. Consequently, they were not a direct reaction to the reform movement initiated by the National Commission in the early seventies. The economic recession of 1990-1991 appears to have been the primary economic motive that contributed to the timing of reform. These results indicate that workers compensation, because it is administered by the states, can be weakened in response to national economic events such as health care crisis and recessions. These types of events can create the conditions for a race to the bottom by states around workers compensa tion.
Using the NLRB as a Resource
Authors: Dannin Ellen J.
Published: April 2013

Many unions blame the National Labor Relations Board and Act for the mem bership decline experienced by United States unions. Such a position is danger ous, because it deprives unions of a useful tool when they need to use every weapon available. This article provides practical advice for making the best use of the NLRB and also advocates long term strategies to increase its effectiveness as an organization created to promote collective bargaining.
Morphometric and volumetric MRI changes in idiopathic intracranial hypertension
Authors: Hoffmann Jan , Huppertz Hans-Jürgen , Schmidt Christoph , Kunte Hagen , Harms Lutz , Klingebiel Randolf , Wiener Edzard
Published: April 2013

Objective

We aimed at validating established imaging features of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) by using state-of-the-art MR imaging together with advanced post-processing techniques and correlated imaging findings to clinical scores.

Methods

Twenty-five IIH patients as well as age-, sex- and body mass index (BMI)-matched controls underwent high-resolution T1w and T2w MR imaging in a 1.5 T scanner, followed by assessment of optic nerve sheaths, pituitary gland, ventricles and Meckel's cave. Imaging findings were correlated with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) opening pressures and clinical symptom scores of visual disturbances (visual field defects or enlarged blind spot), headache, tinnitus (pulsatile and non-pulsatile) and vertigo. CSF as well as ventricle volumes were determined by using an automated MRI volumetry algorithm.

Results

So-called ‘empty sella’ and optic nerve sheath distension were identified as reliable imaging signs in IIH. Posterior globe flattening turned out as a highly specific but not very sensitive sign. No abnormalities of the lateral ventricles were observed. These morphometric results could be confirmed using MR volumetry (VBM). Clinical symptoms did not correlate with an increase in lumbar opening pressure.

Conclusions

Our study results indicate that lateral ventricle size is not affected in IIH. In contrast, abnormalities of the pituitary gland and optic nerve sheath were reliable diagnostic signs for IIH.
Social Achievement Goals
Authors: Jones Martin H. , Mueller Christian E. , Royal Kenneth D. , Shim Sungok Serena , Hart Caroline O.
Published: April 2013

Little extant research attempts to understand why rural African Americans engage in social relationships with peers in school. This is somewhat surprising as rural students’ peer interactions often affect their scholastic desires, and peers can alter African Americans’ academic performance. Hence, the current study examined both the presence and psychometric validity of social achievement goals among rural African American high school students. Results suggest the presence of three reasons for engaging in social relationships in school: social development (desire to increase friendship quality), social demonstration-approach (wanting to appear “cool” among friends), and social demonstration-avoid (fear of appearing socially inferior). Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis provide support for both the presence and valid measurement of social achievement goals among rural African American adolescents.
Changes in Word Usage Frequency May Hamper Intergenerational Comparisons of Vocabulary Skills
Authors: Roivainen Eka
Published: April 2013

Research on secular trends in mean intelligence test scores shows smaller gains in vocabulary skills than in nonverbal reasoning. One possible explanation is that vocabulary test items become outdated faster compared to nonverbal tasks. The history of the usage frequency of the words on five popular vocabulary tests, the GSS Wordsum, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Revised (WAIS-R), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Revised (WISC-R) IQ tests, was analyzed by means of the Google ngram viewer. Usage frequency had a 0.38 to 0.73 correlation with item difficulty. In the period between test standardizations, the median change in usage frequency was −17% for WISC words, −8% for Wordsum, −5% for WISC-R, −4% for WAIS, and 0% for WAIS-R words. The correlation between median change in usage frequency and gain in vocabulary score was 0.33. Further studies with a larger set of vocabulary tests are needed to analyze in more detail the magnitude of the effect of changing word usage frequencies.
Assessing Social Skills in Early Elementary-Aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Locke Jill , Kasari Connie , Wood Jeffrey J.
Published: April 2013

This study employed a newly developed measure, the Social Skills Q-Sort (SSQ), to assess paraprofessionals’ and teachers’ reports of social skills for children with and without ASD. Paraprofessionals and teachers showed good rater-agreement on the SSQ. ROC curve analyses yielded an excellent profile of sensitivity and specificity for discriminating between children with ASD and typically developing children. The paraprofessional SSQ converged with objective ratings of playground social behavior; however, there was little evidence of convergence between SSQ scores and parent and teacher ratings on questionnaire measures. The SSQ may be effective in screening for ASD and the severity of ASD-related social communication challenges.
Extending Our Knowledge of Fermentable, Short‐Chain Carbohydrates for Managing Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Authors: Barrett Jacqueline S.
Published: April 2013

The Monash University low FODMAP (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols) diet is now accepted as an effective strategy for managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Australia, with interest expanding across the world. These poorly absorbed, short‐chain carbohydrates have been shown to induce IBS symptoms of diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, and flatus due to their poor absorption, osmotic activity, and rapid fermentation. Four clinical trials have been published to date, all with significant symptomatic response to the low FODMAP diet. Up to 86% of patients with IBS have achieved relief of overall gastrointestinal symptoms and, more specifically, bloating, flatus, abdominal pain, and altered bowel habit from the approach. This review provides an overview of the low FODMAP diet and summarizes the research to date, emerging concepts, and limitations. FODMAPs are known to be beneficial to bowel health; the importance of this and how this should be considered in the clinical management of IBS is also discussed. A clinical management flowchart is provided to assist nutrition professionals in the use of this approach.
Diagnosis and Management of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
Authors: Bohm Matthew , Siwiec Robert M. , Wo John M.
Published: April 2013

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can result from failure of the gastric acid barrier, failure of small intestinal motility, anatomic alterations, or impairment of systemic and local immunity. The current accepted criteria for the diagnosis of SIBO is the presence of coliform bacteria isolated from the proximal jejunum with >105 colony‐forming units/mL. A major concern with luminal aspiration is that it is only one random sampling of the small intestine and may not always be representative of the underlying microbiota. A new approach to examine the underlying microbiota uses rapid molecular sequencing, but its clinical utilization is still under active investigation. Clinical manifestations of SIBO are variable and include bloating, flatulence, abdominal distention, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Severe cases may present with nutrition deficiencies due to malabsorption of micro‐ and macronutrients. The current management strategies for SIBO center on identifying and correcting underlying causes, addressing nutrition deficiencies, and judicious utilization of antibiotics to treat symptomatic SIBO.
Comparison of Postpyloric Tube Feeding and Gastric Tube Feeding in Intensive Care Unit Patients
Authors: Zhang Zhongheng , Xu Xiao , Ding Jin , Ni Hongying
Published: April 2013

Background and Objective: Enteral feeding is vital in the critical care setting; however, the optimal route of enteral feeding (postpyloric vs gastric feeding) remains debated. We aimed to systematically review the current evidence to see whether postpyloric feeding could provide additional benefits to intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Method: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy and safety of postpyloric feeding vs gastric feeding were included in our systematic review. Odds ratio (OR) was used for binary outcome data and weighted mean difference (WMD) was used for continuous outcome data. Summary effects were pooled using a fixed or random effects model as appropriate. Results: Seventeen RCTs were included in our meta‐analysis. Postpyloric tube feeding could deliver higher proportions of estimated energy requirement (WMD, 12%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5%–18%) and reduce the gastric residual volume (GRV) (WMD, −169.1 mL; 95% CI, −291.995 to −46.196 mL). However, the meta‐analysis failed to demonstrate any benefits to critically ill patients with postpyloric tube feeding in terms of mortality (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.77–1.44), new‐onset pneumonia (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.53–1.13), and aspiration (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.64–2.25). There was no significant publication bias as represented by an Egger's bias coefficient of 0.21 (95% CI, −1.01 to 1.43; P = .7). Conclusion: As compared with gastric feeding, postpyloric feeding is able to deliver higher proportions of the estimated energy requirement and can help reduce the GRV.
Evaluating the time-varying mesh stiffness of a planetary gear set using the potential energy method
Authors: Liang Xihui , Zuo Ming J , Patel Tejas H
Published: April 2013

Time-varying mesh stiffness is a periodic function caused by the change in the number of contact tooth pairs and the contact positions of the gear teeth. It is one of the main sources of vibration of a gear transmission system. An efficient and effective way to evaluate the time-varying mesh stiffness is essential to comprehensively understand the dynamic properties of a planetary gear set. According to the literature, there are two ways to evaluate the gear mesh stiffness, the finite element method and the analytical method. The finite element method is time-consuming because one needs to model every meshing gear pair in order to know the mesh stiffness of a range of gear pairs. On the other hand, analytical method can offer a general approach to evaluate the mesh stiffness. In this study, the potential energy method is applied to evaluate the time-varying mesh stiffness of a planetary gear set. Analytical equations are derived without any modification of the gear tooth involute curve. The developed equations are applicable to any transmission structure of a planetary gear set. Detailed discussions are given to three commonly used transmission structures: fixed carrier, fixed ring gear and fixed sun gear.
Development and stability analysis of a cooperative search algorithm by multiple flying vehicles
Authors: Esmailifar Sayyed Majid , Saghafi Fariborz
Published: April 2013

The problem of finding a lost target in a noisy environment by a group of flying vehicles is studied in this article. The developed cooperative search algorithm that is decentrally applied on the flying vehicles is a combination of searching guidance and neighborhood laws. The searching guidance law generates an acceleration command to direct each flying vehicle to the position of the lost target. The command is generated based on the information gathered by those flying vehicles that are categorized as neighbors by the neighborhood law. The neighborhood law specifies the sharing network between the flying vehicles for intelligent cooperation. Various neighborhood laws are introduced for tuning the search exploration and exploitation, which influence the performance of the cooperative search algorithm. To evaluate this performance, two approaches are considered. The analytical approach shows that the search process is stable and convergent. In the second approach, numerical simulations demonstrate that properly selecting the neighborhood law significantly enhances the performance of the search.
Variable rotor speed control for an integrated helicopter/engine system
Authors: Haibo Zhang , Changkai Yan , Guoqiang Chen
Published: April 2013

A modified sequential shifting control algorithm is proposed for changing the helicopter rotor’s speed in a large variation and providing continuous output power to the rotor. Two turbo-shaft engines and two multi-speed gearboxes, coordinating with the rotor, facilitate a wide rotor speed variation and provide continuous torque to the rotor. In the process of shifting, a new control scheme is proposed to design turbo-shaft engines’ power turbine speed controller which is robust linear matrix inequality control, combined with active disturbance rejection control torque feed-forward compensation, so as to weaken engines’ torque disturbance in rotor speed variation process. In the end, some numerical simulations are carried out to verify the feasibility of the shifting algorithm, based on the integrated helicopter/engine system model which can simulate auto-flight tasks of the real system. The simulation results show that the turbo-shaft engine’s torque disturbance has little influence on engine power turbine speed in the process of torque shifting, and the rotor speed can perform large and rapid speed changes smoothly.
Evolutionary psychology: Neglecting neurobiology in defining the mind
Authors: Peters Brad M.
Published: April 2013

Evolutionary psychology defines the human mind as comprising innate and domain-specific information-processing mechanisms that were designed to solve specific evolutionary problems of our Pleistocene past. Yet it is argued here that evolutionary psychology’s assumptions regarding the mind are often inconsistent with the neurobiological evidence; biological constraints may place limits on the kinds of hypotheses that can be made within a theoretical framework that wants to remain true to the known properties and functions of the human nervous system. Evolutionary psychology’s assumptions regarding our innate biology also shape their treatment of culture and learning in ways that may inaccurately reflect true experience–neurodevelopmental interactions. It is suggested that the mind can be adequately understood and its activities properly explained without hypothetical appeal to countless genetically pre-specified psychological programs, and in a way that remains consistent with both our neurobiology and neo-Darwinian evolution.