The Impact of Unions on Salaries in Public Libraries

Abstract

The objective of this study was to test the following hierarchical regression model: a library employee's salary is a function of (1) the size of the library, (2) the strength of public sector collective bargaining in the state, (3) the library's ability to pay, (4) the cost of living in the area, (5) the presence of any union in the library, and (6) the presence of a union representing librarians in the library. The model was tested on three salary levels: those of the department head, the beginning librarian, and the clerical worker. Results indicate that librarian union presence explains 5-14 percent of the variation in librarians' salaries. No significant amount of variation in the salaries of department heads or clerical workers is explained by librarian union presence. Simple union presence can explain 11-17 percent of the variation in the salaries of clerical workers. Simple union presence does not explain any of the variation in the salaries of librarians or department heads.