Becoming and Remaining an Independent Union: A Comparative Case Study of Two University Faculty Unions

Although workplace unions have many options when itcomes to affiliatingwith a central labour body, some unions decide to remain independent or todisaffiliate after an experience of affiliation. Toour knowledge, the literature hasnot widely examined the reasons behind the decisionof some unions to remainindependent. Based on a comparative case study of two university faculty unionsin Quebec, this article aims to partly fill this gap in analysis. The results showthat the particularities of the work of professorsand the types of expertiseneeded to perform their duties influence their choice for union independence.