Abstract
This dissertation presents a qualitative study of managers in the middle of labor negotiations between labor unions and an elected board. The qualitative research method was used to determine how public managers’ draw meaning from situations in which they find themselves engaged, during and around negotiations. Qualitative research allowed me to closely analyze the experiences of the city and county managers conducting labor negotiations. I identified key individuals in city and county management within the United States and examined their personal experiences and industry knowledge to determine how they manage and make meaning out of these experiences. I explored how the challenges of working for a politically elected governing board with various influences such as partisan politics and labor unions may affect city and county managers’ views of their experiences. This study contributes to the research on the study of managers in the middle of labor negotiations between labor unions and an elected board. There is currently a lack of literature available on the study of managers in the middle of labor negotiations between labor unions and an elected board.