Union and Union Threat Premiums Among Graduate Student Stipends

29 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2005

See all articles by Albert Yung-Hsu Liu

Albert Yung-Hsu Liu

Cornell University - Cornell Higher Education Research Institute; Cornell University - Department of Economics

Date Written: December 2005

Abstract

To inform the ongoing debate over graduate student unionization, the author tests for the presence of union-related premiums among teaching and research assistant stipends using data from The Chronicle of Higher Education's survey of departments in six fields in 2000, 2001, and 2003. Ordinary least squares and instrumental variables methods reveal union and union threat premiums among teaching assistant stipends. There is little evidence of union-related premiums among research assistant stipends. Specifications controlling for union composition or using employment weights reveal that the teaching assistant only union premium is positive for teaching assistant stipends and negative for research assistant stipends. This suggests that collectively bargained contracts may yield benefits for teaching assistants at the expense of research assistants when the latter are excluded from the bargaining unit. There is a positive premium to joint teaching and research assistant unions for teaching assistant stipends and no effect for research assistant stipends.

Keywords: educational finance, government policy, compensation packages, unions

JEL Classification: I22, I28, J33, J51

Suggested Citation

Liu, Albert Yung-Hsu and Liu, Albert Yung-Hsu, Union and Union Threat Premiums Among Graduate Student Stipends (December 2005). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=869485 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.869485

Albert Yung-Hsu Liu (Contact Author)

Cornell University - Department of Economics ( email )

414 Uris Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-7601
United States

Cornell University - Cornell Higher Education Research Institute ( email )

Ithaca, NY 14853-3901
United States
(607) 254-4777 (Phone)

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