Collective Bargaining and Staff Salaries in American Colleges and Universities

Daniel B. Klaff, Cornell University
Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Cornell University

Abstract

Previous studies of union wage effects in higher education have examined faculty salaries, but not staff salaries. This study, using data from a 1997-98 survey conducted by the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers and other sources, investigates how union coverage affected staff salaries at 163 U.S. colleges and universities. The authors estimate a union salary premium of 9- 11%, with variation from near zero for some of the 47 occupations in their sample to 13-16% for others, such as the skilled building trades. The union/ nonunion differential appears to be larger in 2-year than in 4-year institutions, but does not vary between the public and private sectors. Where faculty members are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, unionized staff members appear to enjoy an additional salary gain of 2-3%.