Beyond the Metropolis: The Forgotten History of Small-Town Teachers’ Unions

Abstract

This article examines the legal and political significance of teacher unionization in rural and suburban school districts between 1960 and 1975. While most historians focus on the growth of unions in urban areas, strikes in outlying districts played a determinative role in the development of public sector labor law, particularly in the arbitration of professional rights and democratic oversight. After summarizing the relationship between unions and school boards in rural and suburban school districts, the article describes the legal impact of teacher strikes in those areas. It concludes with a discussion of the changes to public sector labor law during the 1970s and a brief reflection on the importance of small-town teachers’ unions today.

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