Abstract The article argues against unionization in higher accounting education in the U. S. Advocates of unionization believe that collective bargaining will lead to higher salaries and benefits, increase the faculty's power on governance issues, and increase job security. More extreme advocates will also assert benefits in winning public respect for higher education and creating a more egalitarian work place. Unfortunately, after 35 years' experience with unionization in higher education, there is no evidence to support these claims. In fact, considerable evidence exists to explain why the promise of unionization has remained just that, a promise, not a reality. The reason is simple — a bargaining table has two sides. For every benefit gained, something must be given, and administrators have become increasingly adept at working their side of the table. Early studies indicate an annual advantage to unionized faculty of 750 to 900 per person. Most unionized institutions were two-year schools where faculty began with low salaries and no tenure rights.
Penny Marquette (Fri,) studied this question.