They also stand to receive more from collective bargaining arrangements, because they are often negotiating with public officials who have a direct role in allocating funds for projects and salaries, versus the private sector, where wages and demand for labor is highly influenced by consumer demand. Private sector employees also know if that if they bargain too hard, the competitive nature of their organization may be compromised.
In Chapter 2 of the text Local government labor relations: A guide for public administrators entitled "Bargaining unit determination" by Joan E. Pynes and Joan M. Lafferty, the authors detail the nature of collective bargaining agreements. Employees who the LMRA requires to have separate representation (such as professional workers); individuals excluded from the definition of employee (such as children and spouses); employees who do not regularly perform the type of work of the bargaining unit; and employees whose interests are more closely aligned with management...
This is to ensure that the workers negotiating as a unit do not have competing interests or hostilities that could subvert their agenda (Pynes & Lafferty 17-18). Some states, such as Hawaii, have pre-determined categories for collective bargaining units (such as teachers or police officers) and almost all states exclude certain additional classes of employees from collective bargaining (such as temporary…
