According to the author of this report, it is increasingly evident that teachers, through their unions and the bargaining process, are becoming more involved in the everyday decisionmaking process and policy development of school districts. A better understanding of the factors that influence union members' perceptions of union leadership effectiveness may provide insight into the factors that influence the school district decisionmaking process. Following a review of the literature on the relationships between union structure, union leadership, and member attitudes toward the union and its leaders, the author proposes a theoretical model for analyzing these relationships within teacher unions. According to the model, union members' perceptions of the effectiveness of union leadership are influenced by their perceptions of three endogenous variables--the contract, the union leadership's management of conflict, and the union's tactical effectiveness--as seen in the contexts of two exogenous variables--the union's organizational characteristics and the school district's economic, political, and demographic characteristics. An extensive bibliography concludes the document. (Author/PGD)