The COVID-19 global pandemic had far-ranging consequences for California State University higher education union staff members' mental health and well-being. Research had not yet examined the impact of the pandemic on the California State University system's union front line higher education staff members. The aim of this study was to identify the…

This article reflects upon the neoliberalisation of higher education and its effects on teaching practice. It is argued that a neoliberal discourse of teaching excellence has the effect of working against, and potentially undermining, the emancipatory potential of higher education. The article reflects upon attempts to navigate disciplinary power…

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…

Like thousands of other people from around the country and around the world, this author was heartened and inspired by the tenacity, immediacy, and creativity of the pushback by Wisconsin's public-sector unions against Governor Scott Walker's efforts to limit their collective bargaining rights. And like many others who made the trek to Madison to…

This article presents an analysis of the development of a trade union education program in Sierra Leone in the geo-historical context of British colonialism. It places the argument in relation to the contradictory trends of trade unionism more generally and alongside their antagonistic cooperation with capitalism. It discusses the limits and…

After nearly four decades of campaigning, faculty and academic staff union members across the University of Wisconsin (UW) System won the right to bargain collectively in June 2009 when the Governor signed legislation that modified state labor law. In this paper, I present historical and interdisciplinary analyses of the organizational structures…

The ideal of "bildung" as a goal for higher education and research (HER) in European Union member states is losing ground to more pragmatic goals such as innovation and growth. This shift in the policy perspective about the role of science in society has given rise to a system of multi layered governance which in turn is progressively…

Describes the causes of the increase in faculty unionism over the past eight years and describes a report prepared for the Carnegie Commission and the Ford Foundation which analyzes this new campus development. (GS)

Develops an organizational explanation of declining union membership, termed the "replenishment thesis." Reviews established theories of unionization and analyzes causes of the decline of union membership in the United States since World War II. Presents case study data on the United Furniture Workers's Union. (JDH)

After providing some background data on the number of blue-collar and white-collar employees covered by collective bargaining agreements at U.S. institutions of higher education, this study used data from a 1997-1998 study on the costs of staffing in higher education. It was conducted by the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers…

This report reviews briefly some advantages and disadvantages of collective bargaining in higher education. Advantages discussed include: efficiency, equality of power, legal force, impasse resolution, communication, understanding the institution, resolution of individual problems, definition of policy, rights guarantee, faculty compensation,…

Faculty unions have become a reality on many college campuses. This paper examines some of the objections of the public and college administrators toward faculty unions. Public criticism usually centers on the possible increased costs of education generated by union demands, while the college management complains that union grievance and other…

A union perspective of major issues in higher education labor law in the 1990s includes the 11th Circuit Court cases on whether Congress abrogated states' 11th Amendment immunity for suits under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Analyzes contract issues of protection around age…

Discusses the sharply differing perceptions held by faculty members and by administrators about both the process and the substance of planning for higher educational institutions, faculty unionization and collective bargaining, the potential impact of the bargaining process upon educational planning, and the trivial content of the issues raised…

Five hundred California librarians were surveyed regarding their membership in labor unions and professional associations. Respondents were asked to give their reasons for joining (or not) and the perceived benefits of membership. In general, the librarians were more loyal to their union than to their professional associations and were motivated…