Yeshiva and Faculty Unionization in Higher Education

The Benefits and Limitations of Contingent Faculty Unionization: A Comparison of a Union and Non-Union Institution

“…In some cases, contingent faculty work with tenure-track faculty to organize a joint bargaining unit, and in others contingent faculty organize separately (Dobbie and Robinson 2008; Tolley 2018). These union organizing efforts have faced many obstacles including legal challenges, hostile administrators, and a lack of support from tenure-track faculty (Kezar, DePaula, and Scott 2019; Metchick and Singh 2004; Saltzman 2018; Tolley, Delaporte, and Giachetti 2018). However, when they have been successful, they have been able to make important improvements to contingent faculty jobs.…”

Collective Bargaining And Faculty Unionization: An Administrative Perspective

“…Merchant Marine Academy, a four year college (Metchick & Singh, 2004). While there is some variation amongst individual state statutes, there is also a degree of cohesiveness.…”

“…As such, these employees were not entitled to protection under the Wagner Act and the NLRA in matters pertaining to collective bargaining. In the case of faculty members at Yeshiva, it was determined that the faculty held a considerable amount of authority in both academic and nonacademic matters related to the university (Metchick & Singh, 2004). The courts declared that faculty members held absolute authority in those academic matters related to course coverage, offerings, and requirements for graduation, teaching methodology, and grading criteria.…”

“…This authority ultimately impacted which students were retained and which students would graduate. Furthermore, it was determined that the faculty held a considerable amount of authoritative decisive power in those nonacademic matters such as the hiring, firing, promotion and tenure of faculty members (Metchick & Singh, 2004).…”

“…These settings were chosen in an attempt to look at the perspectives of those administrators from union protection while bargaining collectively in the public sector, the precedent has been set that administrators in both the private and the public sectors of higher education are not afforded federal or state protection while doing so. The case that has been most influential in the setting of this precedent through the interpretation of the Supreme Court is the Yeshiva case (Metchick & Singh, 2004). To date, there is no collective bargaining unit for administrators working in institutions of higher education in south Florida.…”