Assessing the Effectivess of Florida's Impasse Resolution Procedures: A Survey of Public Sector Practitioners

While rejecting the right of public employees to strike, the 1974 Florida Public Employees Relations Act specifies, as part of the impasse resolution procedure, the appointing of a Special Master, or factfinder, by the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC). To assess the effectiveness of the Special Master (factfinding) process, 235 union and 287 management representatives of all units covered by the 1974 Act were surveyed. Over half of the union respondents felt that the Special Master process was very ineffective, compared to only 9% of the management respondents. In general, the findings support the conclusion that final legislative decisions are seen as being close to the employer's position. The police union representatives are distinguished from the rest of the sample in that they are much more likely to perceive the legislative body as making final contract decisions that are closer to the unions' position, especially in noneconomic issues.