THERE SHOULD BE NO BLANKET GUARANTEE - EMPLOYERS REACTIONS TO PUBLIC-EMPLOYEE UNIONISM, C.1965-1975

Based on a review of the business press, study commissions' policy rec ommendations, and management service organizations' documents, this ar ticle explores private and public sector employers' reactions to publi c employee militancy between 1965 and 1975. Employers identified three options for public sector labor relations. The minority position, sup ported by corporate liberals, advocated collective bargaining along th e lines of the private sector, perhaps with a restricted right to stri ke. The majority position, favored by most business leaders and public administrators, endorsed meet-and-confer statutes that preserved civi l service procedures and banned strikes. For many private and public e mployers, a public preference for meet-and-confer laws masked a real d esire for a third option, the unregulated status quo or legal prohibit ions on negotiations of any kind.