College and Research Libraries Labor Unions or Professional Organizations: Which Have Our First Loyalty? Renee N. Anderson, John D' Amicantonio, and Henry DuBois More than 500 librarians in public universities in California were suriJeyed regarding their membership in a union and/or their membership in professional organizations. Information was requested regarding the reasons for choosing to join or not join, the benefits expected from membership, and the strength of allegiance expressed toward the organizations. These factors were matched against demographic data volunteered by respondents. In general, California academic librarians were found to be relatively more loyal to unions than to professional societies, and the motivations given for joining one or the other, though different, often were complementary. or more than seven years librarians in California's state- supported universities have been represented by unions. These librarians also have long-standing relationships with a broad range of pro- fessional organizations: national, state, and regional librarian associations directed toward the advancement of librarianship in all its permutations. What experiences or expectations have prompted these Cal- ifornia librarians to decide to become union members? How have they deter- mined which professional organizations deserve their involvement and support? How loyal are the librarians of the Cal- ifornia State University and the Univer- sity of California to their elected bargaining agents? What do they think about the union's effectiveness and per- formance? Do these librarians perceive the role of professional organizations to be totally unrelated to the union's objec- tives, or do they see some areas in which goals are complementary or identical? How loyal do library unionists consider themselves to the mission of their union as compared with that of their pro- fessional groups? What are the demo- graphic characteristics of librarians who join unions? Do they show any differ- ences from the characteristics of librari- ans joining other kinds of organizations which serve their profession? These issues are important for both kinds of organizations as they seek to attract and maintain membership, sup- port, and involvement. They are ques- tions that matter to librarians as well as they decide how to allocate their time, Renee N. Anderson is a former Senior Assistant Librarian at California State University, Long Beach; She currently is pursuing a dod orate at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52246./ohn D' Amicantonio is a Senior Assistant Librarian at California State University-Long Beach, Long Beach, California, 90840-1901. Henry DuBois is Acting Associate Director of the Library at California State University-Long Beach and fonnerly a member of tlze California Faculty Association lxzrgaining team. 332 College & Research Libraries energy, and dues dollars. In spring 1990 the authors surveyed over 500 librarians in California's public universities; re- sponses to this survey are the basis for the following report. CALIFORNIA ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS AND UNIONS In 1979 the California legislature passed the Higher Education Employer /Em- ployee Relations Act (HEERA), giving teaching faculty, librarians, and other pub- lic higher education employees the right to organize and to engage in collective bar- gaining. The Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) was charged with identify- ing "units" of employees based upon com- monalities in the duties and responsibilities connected with job classifications. In Cal- ifornia's two public university systems, the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC), PERB de- fined librarians' eligibility for representa- tion and the composition of their employee units very differently. PERB ruled that librarians at the Univer- sity of California's nine campuses met the criteria to be placed in a separate bargain- ing unit. Of 600 UC librarians, about 140, primarily department heads, were ex- cluded from the bargaining unit. In 1983, UC librarians elected the University Coun- cil-American Federation of Teachers (UC- AFD-University Federation of Librarians (UFL) to represent them as their bargaining agent. The UC-AFf represents all UC aca- demic appointees. At present, only librari- ans and non-Senate instructors have negotiated contracts with UC. On the twenty campuses of the CSU System, PERB determined that relatively few librarians could be excluded from the unit as managers; only library direc- tors/ deans and associate or assistant dean/ director positions were so iden- tified. Furthermore, librarians, along with coaches, part-time faculty, and graduate teaching assistants were placed in the same bargaining unit as full-time teach- ing faculty. These constituencies elected the California Faculty Association (CFA) to represent their unit in 1983. An affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), American Association of University July 1992 Professors (AAUP), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the AFL- CIO, CFA is the largest union for higher education faculty in the United States, representing more than 20,000 individu- als, more than 8,000 of them currently holding union membership. THE SURVEY In spring 1990, the authors distributed a questionnaire to 716 UC and CSU librar- ians asking for their views on unions and professional organizations. Surveys went to all who were then eligible for union membership, not only those who had de- cided to join the union. Management em- ployees were not included because they could not be expected to have had direct experience with both types of organiza- tion. Response to the questionnaire was very good: 516 surveys (72%) were re- turned. Predictably, a larger proportion of union members responded than non- members, but both groups are repre- sented in substantial numbers. Survey responses provided answers, not only to questions about librarians' motivation and level of commitment vis-a-vis or- ganizations but also revealed that human factors can be as important as economic ones when a librarian decides whether to maintain or sever a relation- ship with a society, association, or union. The survey sample is a relatively diverse one, representing the full range of librarian assignments. UC and CSU libraries, where the respondents work, vary in size from small to very large. They are located in a variety of geo- graphic settings, from rural areas such as Area ta and Turlock to urban centers such as San Diego and Los Angeles. Each cam- pus also has particular strengths and programs for which it enjoys a distin- guished reputation. The number and the heterogeneity of the survey respondents suggests that findings may be typical of sentiments held by librarians at other state-supported academic libraries. DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SURVEY SAMPLE The demographic profile which emerges from the responses to the questionnaire Labor Unions or Professional Organizations 333 Union Members 60°/o n:311 Union Members ........ 99 ........ ........ ........ ........ Female Union Members 212 Nonunion Members 40o/o n=205 FIGURE 1 Union versus Nonunion Members (N = 516) reflects many characteristics of the li- brary profession nationwide. About one- third of the respondents were male, two-thirds female, and this ratio is main- tained whether one looks at union mem- bers or nonmembers, professional association members or nonmembers: gender does not seem to influence the decision to join a librarian organization (see figure 1 ). Any kind of organization must main- tain communication with, indeed constantly #sell" itself to, its mem- bers, keeping them always conscious of the rewards of membership. The graying of the profession, as an increasing number of librarians reach re- tirement age and fewer new graduates are being generated to replace them, has been described in the 1990-91 Bowker An- nual and other places. Survey respondents give ample evidence of these trends. Only 5 responding librarians listed their age as under 30, while over a third were in the 41-50 age group, and another third in the 51 and above category. Librarians return- ing questionnaires reported long periods of employment at their current campus and in their current university system. Fully 31% had worked at the same campus for over 20 years. A majority (82%) had earned tenure or career status (the U.C. equiv- alent). The typical respondent, then, is female, over 40, and has worked at the same campus long enough to have achieved career status or tenure. She also is more likely than not to be a union mem- ber. These are characteristics which estab- lish a context for the opinions elicited by the questionnaire. (see figures 2 and 3). THE MOTIVATION FOR UNION MEMBERSHIP Judging from their responses, California academic librarians join labor unions for a variety of reasons. Some of them are pre- dictable: librarians see the union as effec- tive in improving their salary, benefits, or status, for example, or in defending librarians involved in grievances with management. One stated that, to her, the best reason for joining an organization is simply that it will lead to a raise and enable her to better support three small 334 College & Research Libraries July 1992 100 en t- z w Q z 0 a. en w 37% a: LL 0 1% -;:!?. 0 n=6 0 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 60+ AGE GROUP . FIGURE2 Age of Respondents 100 (/) t-z w c z 0 0.. (/) w 29°/o 31°/o a: 24o/o LL 0 ;;..$!.. n=152 0 0 10-19 <5 5-9 YEARS FIGURE3 Years Working at CSU or UC Campus children. Others specifically mentioned union-sponsored life, disability, auto, and homeowners' insurance and the need to maintain membership to continue cover- age. Another large group of respon- dents, however, chose reasons other than the ones suggested in the questionnaire for their decision to affiliate. Many of these said that "solidarity with all organ- ized labor" was what motivated them. "I believe in unions" was a recurrent theme, signaling a philosophical predisposition toward organizing for strength and mutual support. One librarian reported that his or her "whole family have been strong union activists," and that he or she will always belong to the union. Beyond this strong showing for mem- bership as a matter of principle, librari- ans reported that the union's success in winning them access to sabbaticals and the option to be hired on a ten-month Labor Unions or Professional Organizations 335 TABLEt REASONS FOR MAINTAINING UNION MEMBERSHIP Very Important or Unimportant Somewhat Important or No Answer Category (%) (%) Salary concerns 95 5 Insurance, benefits 41 59 Grievance handling 89 11 Social/ collegial opportunities 34 66 TABLE2 REASONS FOR NOT JOINING THE UNION Reason Unprofessional to be a union member Union membership too costly Union positions not supportable Fear of reprisal by management basis prompted them to join their union. Another said that she or he appreciated the union's responsiveness: "returning calls promptly, following up on questions, and maintaining effective contacts with constituents." Still another said the union "represents professional ideals and pro- vides a forum for discussion of problems." Other reasons stated by respondents for maintaining union membership include: • It is the only effective means of dial- ogue on working conditions with Uni- versity management. • I feel they need my support. • [The union] represents professional ideals effectively. • [The union] provided a forum for discus- sion of problems (and ensuing action). • Union provides safeguard against further erosion of employee wages, benefits, and rights. • CFA does a great job for librarians! • As long as we have a union, I think it's important to be a member. • Union advances image and status of librarians. • I am personally committed to effective and honest unions. Since it represents me, I think I should support it (see table 1). Percent of Union Nonmembers Who Cited (%) 39 37 22 5 More interesting, perhaps, are the rea- sons given for not joining CFA or AFT. Thirty-nine percent of the nonmembers said that they consider unions unpro- fessional; almost as large a group (37%) complained that dues were a prohibiting factor. About a fifth of the nonmembers said they disagreed with positions espoused by the union (too inflam- matory and "hell-raising"). Some were vehement: "I loathe the union ... [but] at our campus there is extreme campus pressure to join." Eleven respondents, all but one without career status or tenure, said they were afraid of administrative reprisals should they join. A surprising number of librarians re- sponded that they were unaware there was a union or that no one ever had approached them to join. This suggests that, at least on some campuses, the union's efforts at self-promotion andre- cruitment have been less than effective. Those who did acknowledge awareness of the union but had not joined said, in some cases, that the union was "ir- relevant," or that they could not abide the union's leaders. In one case the union president was referred to as "a foul- mouthed slob." Both philosophical and 336 College & Research Libraries July 1992 TABLE3 REASONS FOR JOINING PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Reason Important for retention, tenure, and promotion Opportunities for speaking, publishing Very Important or Somewhat Important (%) Unimportant or No Answer (%) Opportunity to network with others in the profession Ability to influence the goals of the profession 81 74 98 84 19 26 2 16 Current awareness through journals which accompany membership 84 16 personal factors, then, have come into play when librarians withhold their sup- port (table 2). Other reasons given for not joining a union include: • [I] do not trust labor unions! • [I] have had ideological problems in the past with unions I was in-their calling strikes when I didn't feel one was justified .... Don't trust unions anymore. • Fear loss of autonomy. • System has worked for me so far. The institution is OK. • Don't see a qualitative difference in working environment between pre- and postunion periods. • Not convinced the union will repre- sent my interests. • [It] seems irrelevant. • I feel I can represent my own best in- terests. • Do not feel these organizations are ef- fective for librarians. • No union interest in cultural diversity for employment and retention. MOTIVATION FOR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP Like librarians belonging to CFA and AFT, California university librarians belonging to professional associations show remarkable consistency in their characteristics. Overall, there is a ratio of about one-fourth male, to three-fourths female, and one-fourth without career status or tenure, to three-fourths with career status or tenure. These ratios apply regardless of whether one looks at membership in ALA, California Aca- demic and Research Librarians (CARL), ACRL, or the Librarians Association of the University of California (LAUC). Of the more than two dozen organizations cited by respondents, these were the ones that emerged as having substantial mem- bership among librarians in the CSU and UC systems; indeed all UC librarians are members of LAUC (see figure 4). Again, these librarians were asked to characterize their motivation for associa- tion membership, and again some an- swers could be anticipated, others were unforeseen (see table 3). Large numbers of respondents said that professional or- ganization membership and participa- tion provided them with the chance to network, to meet and maintain contact with colleagues, and to exchange infor- mation and ideas with them. Other sig- nificant numbers of librarians said that membership was an important factor in reappointment and promotion con- sideration or that it gave them a voice in influencing the goals of the profession. Eighty-four percent of the respondents said that the professional journals in- cluded in their membership were a somewhat or v~ry important reason for maintaining it because the journals keep them abreast of developments in their field. Other reasons cited for joining a professional organization include: · • Opportunity to develop standards, in- fluence national libraries and utilities. • I consider it a professional obligation to participate in the association. • Supporting one's professional asso- ciation, at least by paying dues, seems the right thing to do. Labor Unions or Professional Organizations 337 TABLE4 ORGANIZATIONAL ROLES Activity Union Role Professional Organization Role Influencing salary and benefits Defining working conditions Defending librarian grievances Promoting, defending, primary primary primary secondary influencing the aims of the profession secondary primary Disseminating information through journals and newsletters primary primary Sponsoring meetings, workshops, seminars on professional issues; providing opportunities for continuing education secondary primary Providing opportunities for librarians to speak and write on professional matters and to be reviewed by their peers • Philosophical: support for organiza- tions and profession. • Membership gives me an excuse to travel to meetings (a seemingly frivolous but important reason!). • Good newsletters. • Keep colleagues happy. • [It is] an outlet for creativity and activity not possible in work organization. . • Participation on professional com- mittees is important for promotion. Librarians volunteering reasons for pro- fessional organization membership stated that they consider it "a matter of principle" or "a professional obligation." Others said that association activities ''break up the routine of work" or provide an "excuse" to travel to meetings. Continuing education opportunities also were cited, as well as speaking and publishing opportunities available through associations. ORGANIZATIONAL ROLES: INDEPENDENT OR COMPLEMENTARY? Survey findings showed that most librarians look to their union to repre- sent their interests in improving the level of compensation and to defend them in primary case of a dispute with management. These are traditional union functions, and it is not surprising to find them frequently cited. One could argue that these factors advance professional objec- tives in addition to individual self-inter- est. High pay enables the academy to attract and retain the best librarians. Stu- dents and instructional faculty are better served when talented and highly qual- ified librarians have been recruited. As shown in table 4, however, more and more unions are establishing this linkage between labor objectives and professional objectives themselves, show- ing a relationship between the things that are good for the union and that will benefit the university's mission. The California Fa- culty Association, for example, has launched a "quality education" campaign for its next contract; ten bargaining goals, each allied closely with the quality of in- struction, are identified: "enhancing teaching and learning," and "keeping faculty vital and current" are two ex- amples. Only in this broader context of common interests shared by the profes- sion, by university management, by stu- dents, and by the legislature and 338 College & Research Libraries community, are the union's objectives delineated. Librarian unions seek institutional sup- port for librarian professional develop- ment, for travel, conference participation, and continuing education. On some cam- puses the union has joined the academic senate to sponsor faculty forums which discuss professional issues such as the ten- sion between work load demands and the scholarly expectations associated with retention and promotion. These surely are things that complement the interests of librarian professional organi- zations. Without travel and work load concessions, for example, many librari- ans would find it difficult or impossible to participate in professional groups to the extent they would like. CSU librari- ans are eligible through their union con- tract for a fee-waiver program which permits them to enroll in course work without payment of fees and to qualify for assigned time for this purpose. These are situations in which professional goals are being served, though primarily through the efforts of the union. Professional organizations for librari- ans also cross the line in involving them- selves in issues and concerns-wages and working conditions-traditionally regarded as being in the union's pur- view. Although the ALA has not adopted recommendations for minimum salaries for librarians, a salary guide regularly is included in job notices in C&RL News listing minimum starting salaries recom- mended by state librarian associations. AAUP standards for retention, tenure, and promotion of instructional faculty and librarians are accepted widely in the academic community, and a significant portion of a librarian union's grievance representation cases can stem from an em- ployer's failure to adhere to due process as defined in these standards included in the collective bargaining contract. · Librarians responding to the survey questionnaire, however, tended to view the objectives of their employee organi- zations and their professional societies as mutually exclusive. One wrote, "I don't see a conflict between a union and professional organization .... ALA can- July 1992 not negotiate my salary with the CSU. I'm not disloyal to one for belonging to the other." Another said, "Unions are there to protect my rights when I per- ceive that they are being infringed upon; professional organizations, including LAUC, provide opportunities for pro- fessional growth. The latter are useless basically as far as protecting individuals from being unfairly treated. Both have their places." A TEST OF LOYALTY The survey asked respondents hold- ing memberships in both kinds of or- ganizations to consider a scenario in which they might be forced, through fi- nancial hardship, to abandon one of their memberships, either a professional organization or the union. The responses have implications for union and associa- tion leadership. Librarians showed a fair amount of loyalty to the union; only 22% said that they would leave the union in such a situation, while 48% of the re- spondents would drop one of their pro- fessional memberships. Another 30% were unsure (see figure 5). Several factors may have influenced these responses. First, if librarians expect their unions to work for better salaries and if they see this as something the union has been effective at, union support and membership might be perceived as a particularly important priority when times are bad. Also, dues in professional organizations usually require an annual recommitment on the part of librarians; the membership will lapse if it is not renewed and the dues paid. Union dues commonly are paid through payroll de- duction and continue until there is an initiative by the librarian to cancel this deduction. When the opportunity is pro- vided to renew in a professional organi- zation, one has a recurring chance to reassess both the organization's per- formance and one's own commitment to provide financial support. This is not an opportunity unions give their members. Thus, in answering the survey question, · respondents may have considered the relative ease with which they could disaf- filiate from a professional organization. Labor Unions or Professional Organizations 339 50 en 1- :z w c :z 0 a. en w a: LL 0 '#. 0 CLA CARL LAUC CSU ALA ACRL ALCTS LIBRARIAN'S CHAPTER ORGANIZATION CLA-California Library Association CARL-California Academic and Research Librarians LAUC-Library Association of the University of California CSU LIBRARIAN'S CHAPTER-California State University Library Chapter ALA-American Library Association ACRL-Association of College and Research Libraries ALCTS-Association for Library Collections and Technical Services FIGURE4 Professional Organizations Most Popular with California Librarians On the other hand, union dues are not low; librarians may believe that they can benefit more from multiple and relatively inexpensive professional memberships than they can from devoting an equivalent amount only to the union. A final induce- ment held by the union to promote mem- bership maintenance is insurance. Librarians enrolled in union-sponsored in- surance plans would lose coverage if they should disaffiliate, and they would need to seek out other, probably more costly, sub- stitute plans. However one may speculate on the reasons why librarians might exhibit or withhold their loyalty from a union or a professional group, it is clear from the sur- vey responses that any kind of organization must maintain communication with, indeed constantly "sell" itself to, its members, keeping them always conscious of the re- wards of membership and responding to their current needs and interests. CONCLUSION California academic librarians have become active, involved, contributing members of higher education unions and of professional organizations. The authors have drawn upon the responses of a significant number of these librari- ans to identify the factors that motivate them to render this support or to withhold it. Some of these factors, such as looking to a union to improve and maintain salary and benefits, are pre- dictable; others, such as seeing network- 340 College & Research Libraries More Loyal to Union July 1992 More Loyal to Professional Organization FIGURES Are librarians more loyal to their unions or their professional organization? (N = 516) ing as the most important reward of pro- fessional association membership, are unexpected. Also noteworthy is the extent to which the interests of employee organi- zations and professional societies and as- sociations may overlap. The definition of what constitutes a librarian's conditions of employment seems to be expanding, and unions are discovering mutual interests and complementary, sometimes even col- laborative, relationships are being formed between these bodies. Perhaps this is one more reason why surveyed librarians who are union members are relatively more loyal to their union than to their professional societies. 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