Book Review: Labor Relations in the Public Sector (3rd ed.)

• Published date: 01 December 2002
• Date: 01 December 2002
• Author: Deneen Al-Sadi
• DOI: 10.1177/073437102237816
• Subject Matter: Articles

REVIEWOFPUBLICPERSONNELADMINISTRATION / Winter 2002

BOOKREVIEWS

Kearney, Richard C., and Carnevale, David G. (2001). Labor Relations in

the Public Sector (3rd ed.). New York: Marcel Dekker, 408 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/073437102237816

10.1177/073437102237816

In a reader-friendly style, Kearney and Carnevale’s third edition of Labor

Relations in the Public Sector offers a comprehensive text that depicts the

evolution of unionism and its impact on shaping the labor environment,

especially in the public sector. To this end, the book offers the following

three types of material distributed over its 11 chapters: historical material in

the first two chapters, complemented by a futuristic vision in the closing

chapter; foundational material, which is found in the third, fourth, and

fifth chapters, in which the authors survey a host of matters pertaining to

legal aspects, bargaining process, and political aspects of collective bargain-

ing; and finally, the effectual material found in the remaining chapters.

Under the umbrella of the third type—effectual material—the authors

examine the financial affects of unions on collective bargaining, personnel

processes, and policies, and the eventuality of strikes and ways to deal with

it. The last of the three—a strike—is thoroughly examined in chapters 8, 9,

and 10. A diagnostic illustration of the problem of strikes is offered in chap-

ter 8, whereas chapters 9, 10, and 11 offer remedial propositions to the

problem.

To enhance readers’ understanding of different topics, the authors

include many well-placed figures and tables throughout the book. Further-

more, depending on the type of the material offered in each chapter, the

authors provide case studies and sets of questions that contribute

immensely to understanding and contextualization of the material. This is

true for the second and third types of material—foundational and effectual

(except for the third chapter). Due to its resourcefulness, the text also serves

as an excellent source for the available literature—classical and recent, vis-a-

vis the question of unionism and labor relations in the public as well as the

private sector. The authors produced a text providing an up-to-date

account of the state of the field appropriate for advanced undergraduate

and graduate students. To capture the book’s comprehensiveness, a brief

overview of each chapter is offered in the remainder of this review.

Under the title “History and Background”, the first chapter offers a his-

torical account and evolution of unionization and collective bargaining in

the private sector and in government. A time-line between the industrial

revolution of mid-18th century England and the present is detailed. The

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Review of Public Personnel Administration,Vol. 22, No. 4 Winter 2002 326-338

© 2002 Sage Publications

BOOK REVIEWS

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