ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Collective Bargaining

by C. James Schmidt University Librarian Brown University

In 1976, C&RL News published a review of decisions of the National Labor Relations Board affecting academic librarians in private colleges and universities.* This review concluded that the NLRB had, when faced with the question, consistently ruled that librarians in academic libraries had a functional affinity with faculty and therefore should be included in bargaining units with other teaching faculty. Although the jurisdiction of the NLRB is limited to private institutions of higher education, its reasoning is often followed by state agencies having jurisdiction over public colleges and universities.

*College & Research Libraries News37:1-2 (Jan. 1976).

Since 1977, the number of campuses organized seems to have remained static. Thus it seems appropriate to review bargaining-unit configurations as they affect academic librarians in public and private institutions. Table 1 names specific institutions for illustrative purposes only but is not intended to be exhaustive. Furthermore, it reflects only four-year institutions. Information was current as of May 1979. ■■

TABLE I Collective Bargaining in Four-Year Institutions and Academic Lirrarians: Bargaining Unit Variations

1. 1. Nonsupervisory librarians elected to be included in a unit with library clerks. See 198 NLRR 121 (1972).
2. 2. No agent was certified by vote, but the composition of the unit as determined by the NLRR did include librarians with the faculty. 205 NLRB 16(1973).