Professional staff in American unions: Changes,trends, implications

The last twenty-five years has been a period of rapid change for the American labor movement. One way in which that change has been manifested has been the growth in the number of professional, technical, and administrative personnel employed by labor organizations. This article examines data on changes in the employment of union professional staff in 30 major unions between 1961 and 1985. The reasons for these changes are discussed, along with the implications of these trends for the institutional future of American unions.