About

The National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions (National Center) is a national labor-management research center housed in and supported by Hunter College, City University of New York.

Since 1972, the National Center has served as a national research center dedicated to studying the use of collective bargaining as a form of workplace democracy. It believes that collective bargaining is an important means for advancing higher education and the working conditions at colleges and universities as well as other industries. We believe that the study of collective bargaining is essential for a knowledge-based dialogue concerning labor-management and educational issues, and is critically important for reasoned societal debate that will lead to social progress.

The National Center is comprised of labor and management professionals, practitioners, and scholars interested in studying contemporary and historical labor-management issues, best practices in collective bargaining, legal and legislative developments, and public support for higher education. It provides a clearinghouse and forum for scholarly research and ideas concerning labor relations, collective bargaining, labor history, and labor law issues.

As part of its mission, the Center hosts annual and regional conferences and publishes a peer review journal and a monthly newsletter that offer unique insights into current and historical issues and trends in collective bargaining. University administrators and union leaders collaborate in National Center's activities.

Since 1973, the National Center has held an annual national conference in New York City. Prominent academic labor and management officials and leading scholars present research and analysis concerning collective bargaining and labor relations in higher education and the professions.

Throughout its history, the National Center has organized regional workshops focused on further educating attendees on relevant subjects concerning collective bargaining and labor relations. The last regional conference was held at the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2023. The National Center also offers speakers and trainings for institutions, organizations, and conferences.

The National Center offers neutral services including labor-management trainings, mediation, and arbitration. Requests for neutral services should be directed to our Executive Director William Herbert via email at wh124@hunter.cuny.edu.

For over fifty years, the National Center has published directories of faculty contracts, bibliographies on collective bargaining topics, and scholarly journals and newsletters.

The Directory of Faculty Contracts and Bargaining Agents is a compilation and a statistical analysis of full-time and part-time faculty and graduate student employee collective bargaining agreements throughout the United States broken down by state and institution. The latest edition was published in 2020 and a new edition is planned for 2024.

In 2008, the National Center launched the Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy as a new platform for research and commentary on collective bargaining and labor relations issues in higher education. The journal is edited by Gary Rhoades, University of Arizona, Karen Stubaus, National Center Visiting Scholar and Jacob Apkarian, Associate Professor, York College, CUNY.