In "Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31", the U.S. Supreme Court ended the practice of enabling public-sector unions to collect "fair-share" or "agency" fees from employees who decline to join. Although federal law prohibits requiring workers to join a union as a…

In its stunning and far-reaching decision in the "Pacific Lutheran University" case (12/16/14), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) opened the door to union organizing among faculty at thousands of private-sector institutions, both secular and religious. The question before the NLRB was whether a local of the Service Employees…

The recent decision by a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that Northwestern University football players on scholarship are "employees" entitled to unionize under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) should serve as a wake-up call for higher education administrators. Part of a trend in which both the NLRB…

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed last September 2006 to take up the issue of when a teachers' union may spend the money it collects in the form of "agency fees" from nonmembers on political causes. The justices said they would review a Washington state law that requires nonmembers to "affirmatively consent," or opt in, before a…

The doctrine of fair representation of employees by unions is first discussed in general terms, then the doctrine is discussed as it relates to a union's decision to take a case to arbitration, and, finally, the impact of the doctrine on the arbitration process is explored. Available from Syracuse University College of Law, Syracuse, New York…

This monograph analyzes the law of fair representation, as applied by the National Labor Relations Board and the courts, and its implications for individuals, union officials, and management. As employees increasingly turn to judicial and administrative agencies to protect their rights, the duty of fair representation has become a doctrine of…

This monograph examines the development of the substantive and procedural law regulating union discipline of members. Chapter 1 presents a brief introduction and describes the organization of the rest of the booklet. Chapter 2 discusses the state courts' intervention into union disciplinary proceedings and then examines the substantive rules that…

The Supreme Court in "Ellis vs. Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steamship Clerks" has provided a systematic process for determining what constitutes union expenses properly charged to objecting nonmembers. (MLF)

In "Ellis vs. Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steamship Clerks," the Supreme Court clarified the line between permissible and nonpermissible expenses and what procedures must be available to prevent compulsory subsidization of ideological activity by objecting employees. This article also describes the Court's decisions subsequent to…

In January 1982, the University of Massachusetts faculty union demanded the termination of nondues-paying faculty members. Dissenters argue that dues (for equivalent sum) conflicts with tenure rights/academic freedom; union leaders see it as a threat to union security. Issues and tensions related to bargaining at the university are discussed. (JN)

Reviews the Black experience in U.S. labor unions since the merger of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955. Notes that a critical barometer of labor's progressive impact is its treatment of minority and female workers. (Author/GC)

This newsletter theme issue focuses on unionization of graduate student assistants at institutions of higher education. The first article, "Graduate Assistants and Unionization" by Frank R. Annunziato, points out that more than 21,000 graduate student assistants at public sector colleges/universities are represented by unions in eight…

Since the 1960s, the number of strikes by public employees, especially local government employees, has increased, and the number of employees belonging to unions or associations has about tripled. Recently, attention has been focused on strikes by public employees as a result of the strike in 1981 by air traffic controllers and their subsequent…

In higher education collective bargaining litigation, the determination of which academic personnel will be included in bargaining units has resulted in many contradictions. Supervisory and managerial personnel have been included with faculty in some schools, and excluded in others. Law and medical school faculty, support staff, and part-time…