The unionization of instructional workers is a central feature of U.S. higher education, with more than a quarter of those teaching college classes covered by collectively bargained contracts. Though dated, the best existing numbers indicate that more than 430,000 faculty members, graduate students, and related personnel are in bargaining units;…

From 1973 to 2007, private sector union membership in the United States declined from 34 to 8 percent for men and from 16 to 6 percent for women. During this period, inequality in hourly wages increased by over 40 percent. We report a decomposition, relating rising inequality to the union wage distribution's shrinking weight. We argue that unions…

Changes in the labor market in the last 20 years are evaluated in order to examine the impact of teacher unionization, the extent of teacher mobility and responsiveness to wage differentials, and the projected demand for teachers from 1980 to 2000. Using cross-section wage regressions and wage change regressions, the study shows that the…

This study examines the year-to-year movement in the wage differential between skilled and unskilled workers, 1907-72, using union contract rates in the construction industry. The author examines a number of hypotheses that have been suggested as explanation for changes in the skill differential. (Editor/HD)

A national survey has found little change in faculty salary differentials among disciplines. For the second year, however, public institutions' salary growth outpaced private institutions'. Other trends include "compression" of salaries among faculty ranks within a field and higher salaries for faculty with union contracts. (MSE)

Part-time college and university faculty account for over 40% of faculty nationwide, double the proportion two decades ago. Increasingly, these groups are becoming organized, often separately from full-time faculty. Issues include pay and workload. Some administrators express concern that part-time faculty are rushing to organize rather than…

Analysis of salary patterns for faculty and department heads in English universities since the recent reform of the system finds fragmentation of compensation policies and policy formation. Increased secrecy about salaries and a tendency to determine pay for individuals rather than for jobs are seen as problematic trends. A weak form of…

While serving as the primary vehicle for reporting the results of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) annual survey of state departments of education, this report also relies on several other data sources. Data include national average salaries or earnings for teachers, other school employees, government workers, and professional employees…

This book examines recent trends in the areas of jobs, income, and work. Among the trends discussed are the following: upward redistribution of wealth; persistent impoverishment; less disposable income; lower wages and higher education; union-free labor and increasing numbers of "disposable" workers; competition for global corporations…

The annual survey of college and university faculty salaries is reported, including data and narrative concerning trends in salary increases in both nominal and real terms; in relation to academic rank; and by sector (public/private) and institution type, gender, institutional rating, and discipline. The role of unions in these trends is also…

Economic, technological, and political changes have created a new employment relationship characterized by an externalized labor market, more tenuous ties between workers and employers, and growing wage inequality. To date, policymakers have sought to address these problems through a supply-side approach focused on education and training. What is…

This book examines the political and economic consequences of the United States' growing reliance on the market and the effects that this growing reliance is having on U.S. workers and their families. The following are among the topics discussed in the book's 10 chapters: (1) consequences of the turn to the market (disinvestment, imbalance between…

A study examined the relationship between high-performance workplace practices and the performance of plants in the following manufacturing industries: steel, apparel, and medical electronic instruments and imaging. The multilevel research methodology combined the following data collection activities: (1) site visits; (2) collection of plant…

The evolution of jobs and the job market in the United States was examined in a 3-year project during which a task force consisting of 25 representatives of the education, labor, business, and policy sectors organized 17 workshops and commissioned working papers from experts. The project began by examining how recent changes in the world of work…

The current conditions of home workers in the garment industry in Toronto, Canada, were examined through in-depth telephone interviews with 30 Chinese-speaking immigrant women who were employed as home workers in 1999. The paper dicusses the formal training and informal learning experiences of immigrant woman who are garment workers. A comparison…