A journey toward professional unionism: The struggle for transformation of a local teachers' union

The primary research question investigated in this study is: How do changes in the structure and activities of a union serve to affect teachers' perceptions of unionism and professionalism, so that the union culture becomes a vehicle for building a professional culture among its members? Additional inquiry questions are also addressed: What are the union's current organizational structures? How do these structures support or undermine a reform agenda? In what ways, if any, do changes in the structures of a union affect the capacity of its members to become engaged as designers and leaders of education reform? How do teachers perceive unionism and professionalism as union structures change?; The qualitative single-case study of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation (ATF) took place during three consecutive school years, fall 2000 through summer 2003, and utilized several data-collection methods including surveys, focus groups, informal and structured observations, interviews, and document analysis. Phase one of the study created a description of the current union structures based on a self-study protocol that included organizational structures traditionally found in teacher unions: governance, human resources, site leadership, partnerships, communication, and committees and task forces. Phase two of the study describes the structural changes made in the organization in each area. The conceptual framework of "professional unionism" guided the study; that is, organizational structures that were designed to address traditional bread-and-butter issues are changed in order to also address professional teaching issues.; Phase one, the self-study, served to expose the extent to which ATF operated as a traditional union and how the existing structures functioned at cross-purposes with the union's stated reform agenda. Phase two, the case-study, documented new organizational structures and activities that were established in an attempt to expand the aims of the organization and make a purposeful connection between a traditional union focus and a focus on instructional and professional issues.; Findings from the study suggest that as the union's structures changed so did the perceptions of those the union represented. The organizational change from industrial style unionism to professional unionism is a slow and evolutionary process. Finally, organizational change can originate from structural change, and structural changes can lead to cultural changes.