Salary. Retirement pensions. Health care benefits. Academic freedom. These are only some of the issues that university administrations and faculty members don’t seem to quite agree on these days. With private colleges governed by the National Labor Relations Act and only one-third of public colleges unionized, faculty and staff at many colleges are finding themselves voiceless.

Those that have unionized are flexing their collective bargaining muscle. For example:

·         At the Community College of Philadelphia, about 1,400 faculty and staff participated in a walkout in March after the union accused the administration of offsetting rising health care costs with smaller salary packages. The school’s 37,000 students were left in limbo for nearly two weeks until both sides reached an agreement.

·         In late March, the California Faculty Association approved a strike for the first time in its history over a labor dispute with the California State University administration. Although the strike was averted when both parties struck a deal, 94 percent of the 8,129 faculty members who voted were ready to walk off the job.

·         The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties recently authorized a strike, with 96 percent of faculty and 98 percent of coaches approving of the measure. The union’s four-year contract with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which operates 14 public universities, will expire June 30.

Despite the demonstration of will, education officials say it is highly unusual for faculty members to go on strike. Michael Mauer, the director of organizing and services at the American Association of University Professors, says contracts get settled every year despite the discord and disharmony.

For those disputes that do end in a work stoppage, faculty and administrators generally try to minimize the impact on students.