This article explores the perceived benefits of union membership for academic librarians at a Florida public university and contrasts attitudes with the comparatively low union membership faculty at the business school. A survey conducted by librarians at Florida International University (FIU) focused on understanding why librarians joined their union at a higher rate (83% membership) than other disciplines and analyzed their feelings toward union effectiveness and relevance. Faculty in the business school were questioned about their reasons for abstaining from union membership in order to compare and contrast union attitudes. The aim of this study is twofold: to understand the differences in sentiments between the disciplines on either end of the membership spectrum and to help faculty unions understand and address these differences so as to increase their visibility and effectiveness through higher membership.
