Library Unionization and its Ties to the Public Sector: History, Issues, and Trends

In the past twenty years, the economy of the United States has shifted from a manufacturing to a service orientation, particularly with the growth of the information industry, considered to be "pivotal to the efficient operation of (the service) economy." As the number of service employees increases, and the membership of industrial unions decreases, organization and collective bargaining in the service areas, including libraries, has increased. This paper will focus on various aspects of library unionization: the history of library unions, including recent organizing and bargaining; the reasons why library employees seek to unionize, and the issues raised during bargaining; the outside factors which influence organization at-tempts and bargaining agreements, especially in public libraries; management's attitudes toward unions; the different perspectives and needs of librarians and support staff; and some of the perceived and actual effects of unionization. Because many of the issues and conditions of unionization are not unique to libraries, particularly those issues affecting support staff, this paper will also look at similar issues in public sector and white-collar organization.