Trends in Labor Management Issues at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

The mobilization of workers through unionization has deep historical roots within American society; more so in the northern regions thanin the southern region of this country.Despite these historical roots,some sectors of the American population (i.e., minorities in general and AfricanAmericans in particular) who have experienced various forms of discrimination have not fully participatedin the unionization movement. This is especially true of the faculty in historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). As a result of thevarious forms of discriminationthat not only denied them meaningful participation in the labor market but restricted their economic success, and the segregation that resulted from the stereotypic views of racial minorities, the fact that HBCU faculty do not mobilize effectively on collegecampusthrough unionizationis troubling. In fact, on some HBCUcampuses, faculty have no mechanism to participate in the governance of their own university. With the survival and destiny of HBCUs at stake, HBCU facultymust be proactive and engaged to create their own representative voice