Faculty Unions

Within institutions of higher education, faculty unions are complex social, economic, and political entities whose mission is to protect the employment rights and professional roles of faculty members in institutional decision-making. This entry provides an overview of faculty unions, their purposes, and the challenges they face across the globe.

To understand the context of faculty unions, a quick overview of labor unions in the United States will help demonstrate the union’s purposes and objectives. The term labor union refers to an organization that represents the collective interests of employees. Labor unions advocate for better terms of employment, such as salaries and benefits, through the process of collective bargaining.

In the public sector, labor unions are prominent among city and government employees, law enforcement officers, postal workers, and ...