Academic Collective Bargaining

Collective representation has long been at the heart of academic governance. As an outgrowth of that tradition and in response to the profound changes in the academic labor market, many academic employees have turned to collective bargaining to enhance shared governance and to advocate for improvements in working conditions. Contributors to this volume aim to educate readers about the historical and practical contexts of collective bargaining. The essays collected here explore the perspectives, successes, failures, and approaches of those who have collectively bargained so that readers can assess the pros and cons of unionization.

Part 1 explores the history of academic collective bargaining, from the legislation enabling the practice to the impact bargaining has had on higher education institutions. Parts 2 and 3 explain the procedures followed and address the concerns not only of the wide range of constituents in academic bargaining units but also of the administrators engaged in bargaining. The experiences of full-time, part-time, and contingent professors and graduate student employees in actual bargaining situations are presented in part 4. Part 5 reflects the diversity of opinion about the tactics and objectives of bargaining and speculates on the future of academic unionism.