Collective Bargaining: Bargaining Unit Placement of the Allied Health Department Chair

Since the presence of collective bargaining is assured, more specific focus on the impact and implications of this presence for allied health education is increasingly meaningful. The departmental chair stands to be influenced more than other administrative positions by the appearance of collective bargaining. Indeed, resolution of the question of whether the allied health chair is appropriately included in or excluded from bargaining units predominantly made up of faculty members may have profound implications for faculty and central administration. The allied health chair itself may undergo substantive shaping prior or subsequent to the advent of collective bargaining at the university. This article selectively explores not only the impact of collective bargaining and unit determination in higher education but also bargaining unit placement criteria operative in private and public academic sectors. State and federal legislative and judicial action relative to the bargaining unit placement of department chairs is also addressed. The gravity of the issue of bargaining unit placement of allied health department chairs means that all concerned should broaden their awareness of the relevant factors in this process.