Collective Bargaining and Social Justice in the Post-Covid Digital Era 1

Abstract

This chapter examines social justice and collective bargaining with a focus on higher education. Observations are offered around the following issues: a) a brief history of social justice as it has been conceptualized in labor management relations with a particular focus on unions in higher education; b) identification of collective bargaining scenarios when social justice platforms may have a more salient impact on negotiations; c) actions and strategies the parties might consider to make bargaining more effective when social justice concerns are most salient; d) measuring and assessing collective bargaining outcomes. Collective bargaining in post-secondary institutions remains a complex phenomenon where political and legal guidelines are still evolving, and accurate assessment of bargaining outcomes presents a variety of methodological challenges some of which are discussed in this chapter.