ABSTRACT
I. Introduction After the chairs are pushed back from the table, the written agreement signed, hands shaken all around, and photo opportunities provided for the media, the two parties to the agreement must begin the difficult task of applying and interpreting the broad terms of the contract on a day-to-day basis. Although contract negotiations steal the limelight of labor relations, the true test of the soundness and maturity of the relationship between union and management comes with implementation of the agreement. It is through living with the contract that collective bargaining exerts its greatest effects on the behavior and attitudes of individual public workers (Kochan 1980: 384).
