Unionization in the Academy: Visions and RealitiesPaperback, 25 March 2003

Unionization in the Academy is an authoritative, balanced, and comprehensive account of academic unions--their history, purpose, and the conflicts they cause. Judith Wagner DeCew takes on the central issues, including unions for part-time and adjunct faculty, graduate student unions, and collective bargaining. The book also includes a history of the rise of academic unions and its watershed moments, such as the U.S. Supreme Court's 1980 Yeshiva decision. A series of important articles by other observers supplements DeCew's insights and arguments. This combination yields a detailed survey of the arguments for and against academic unions of all kinds. Are unions a threat because they create adversity and conflict with academic values? Or do unions support those values by creating community and collegiality? Unions in Academia is the essential reader for faculty, students, administrators, and anyone else trying to answer those questions.