Education Commons^™

A Different Set Of Rules? Nlrb Proposed Rule Making And Student Worker Unionization Rights, William A. Herbert, Joseph Van Der Naald

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This article presents data, precedent, and empirical evidence relevant to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proposal to issue a new rule to exclude graduate assistants and other student employees from coverage under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The analysis in three parts. First, the authors show through an analysis of information from other federal agencies that the adoption of the proposed NLRB rule would exclude over 81,000 graduate assistants on private campuses from the right to unionize and engage in collective bargaining. Second, the article presents a legal history from the past half-century about unionization of student employees …

Contracts With Community College Adjunct Faculty Members And Potential Supplemental Benefits To Increase Satisfaction, Kimberly Ann Page

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

ABSTRACT

As state funding to community colleges has fluctuated, many community colleges have hired more adjunct faculty (Desrochers & Hurlburt, 2014).

This qualitative research explored supplemental benefits, which could be included in adjunct faculty contracts with community colleges in order to promote workplace satisfaction, without causing stress on budgets. Adjunct faculty who realize greater job satisfaction are more beneficial to their institutions because they promote student learning and retention (CCCSE, 2014b; Hollenshead, 2010; Jacoby, 2006).

The descriptive study included three phases: record reviews, interviews with key informants and elite informants, and a reflective questionnaire. New England was selected as the …

The History Books Tell It? Collective Bargaining In Higher Education In The 1940s, William A. Herbert

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This article presents a history of unionization and collective bargaining in higher education during and just after World War II, decades before the establishment of statutory frameworks for labor representation. It examines the collective bargaining program adopted by the University of Illinois in 1945, along with contracts negotiated at other institutions, which demonstrated support for employee self-organization. It will also presents counter-examples of institutions using the courts and congressional investigators to defeat unionization efforts. . Lastly, the article will examine the role of United Public Workers of America (UPWA) and its predecessor unions in organizing and negotiating on behalf of …

The Matriculation Of The Micro-Unit On The College Campus, Barnett L. Horowitz

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

To the extent the world of higher education was following the National Labor Relations Board there was probably limited focus on the Board’s Specialty Healthcare case allowing for the so-called “micro-unit”. Board decisions as to the employee status of tenure track faculty or football players or graduate teaching or research assistants were likely to be of greater interest. Yet the recent holding in Columbia University that students providing instructional services were also employees subject to the Act’s coverage put the micro-unit in play on the college campus. Almost immediately after this decision petitions were filed at Yale seeking representation of …

Negotiating For Curriculum & Class Size, 2011-13: One Faculty Union’S Perspective, Steve Hicks, Amy L. Rosenberger

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

The article walks the reader through the process of proposing, revising, and finally accepting by both sides of a new clause in the APSCUF-PASSHE collective bargaining agreement covering curriculum and class size. The clause took multiple forms over the course of over two years of negotiations and reveals the evolving priorities of the two sides over time.

Collective Begging At Its Best: Labor-Management Relations In South Dakota, Gary Aguiar

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

Public employee labor unions in South Dakota possess a feeble set of bargaining rights, so weak it should be considered “collective begging.” However, our recent contract contains significant victories despite decades of playing defense. What lessons can be learned from this experience that might help other similarly situated faculty unions? What does this case study teach us about the disparity of power, especially where labor has fewer legal and political tools than management? I apply DiGiovanni’s (2011) typology of “intangible influences” on collective bargaining to explain our success. As DiGiovanni predicts, history and timing played a large role in influencing …

Shelter From The Storm: Rekindling Research On Collective Bargaining And Representation Issues, William A. Herbert

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

The National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions (National Center) is a four-decade old institution that is supported by and located at Hunter College, City University of New York. The National Center was founded in the wake of the granting of collective bargaining rights by various states and localities to public employees including higher education faculty members and shortly after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) asserted jurisdiction over private institutions of higher education.

Consistent with its mission, the National Center intends to be an engine for rekindling, incubating and promoting research and …

It's All About The Power, James Castagnera

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

No abstract provided.

Negotiating Within A Shared Governance Format, Suzanne C. Wagner, C. Henrik Borgstrom

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

The act of unionization creates a sense of unity among faculty, however, it also creates an adversarial relationship with administration. Although both the administration and the faculty believe they have the university’s best interests in mind, contract negotiations are typically contentious and divisive. A unique process for negotiations is presented illustrating how working within a shared governance format can enable faculty and administration to work together in preparation, research and analysis, problem solving and mutual gains bargaining that results in success for both parties and, ultimately, the university.

Examining The Decline In Bargaining Power In Faculty Labor Unions In The United States: The Effects Of Reduced Monopoly Power In Providing Public Higher Education, Lynn A. Smith, Robert S. Balough

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This study examines the decline in the economic power of faculty labor unions in public higher education in the United States in recent years. The authors assume the labor union is a utility maximizing entity and that income accrues to the “union family.” The union family attempts to maximize this income. By analyzing collective bargaining agreements and hiring practices between the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, the authors construct bargaining indices. Because this study is focused on the change in bargaining power of labor unions in public higher education …

Collective Bargaining In United Kingdom Higher Education, Helen Fairfoul, Laurence Hopkins, Geoff White

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This article provides an overview of the collective bargaining system in United Kingdom (UK) higher education and considers some of the current challenges. The arrangements for determining the pay of staff in UK higher education reflect both the historical context of the UK funding system and the unique nature of UK industrial relations law. From World War II, the funding of UK higher education has predominantly come from central government spending with a strong central framework of policy and governance. Since the 1960s, the higher education sector has grown dramatically, both in terms of student numbers and the number of …

Universities Must Continue To Bargain, Thomas J. Kriger

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

Faculty with collective bargaining rights across the nation will—and should—agree with Daniel Julius’s conclusion that “College and university leaders should continue to honor collectively negotiated agreements maintaining relationships with faculty unions.” When implemented correctly, these agreements, as Julius points out, serve the interests of both faculty and administrators. Such agreements codify and protect due process rights for both sides. They also provide both faculty and administrators with a level of predictability and stability in labor relations that are necessary on today’s complex and hectic campuses. While I agree with almost everything Julius has written here, there are a number of …