Some states allow university faculty and academic staff members to unionize. What are the key factors that would influence individual faculty and academic staff members' decisions to support (or not) union representation by the AFT?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Individual faculty and academic staff will be influenced by six key factors. First, the individual's own sense of job satisfaction of dissatisfaction will be important. Employees who are dissatisfied are more likely to support unionization. Second, employees will consider whether unionization is likely to increase their well-being (i.e., the benefits will outweigh the costs). Third, employees will assess union instrumentality; that is, whether the AFT specifically will be an effective representative of the employees and is likely to be successful in improving the workplace. Fourth, employees will have a general bias in favor or against unionization. These general attitudes are formed by their personal experiences with unions and by newspaper articles, opinions of influential others, and other sources. Fifth, the social identity of the workplace will influence their decisions. Those campuses that have a strong collective identity and respected coworkers that are visibly supportive of unionization will be more likely to unionize than other campuses. Finally, the activities of the AFT itself in its campaign for unionization will influence the decisions of the employees.