The National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions (National Center) is a national labor-management research center housed in and supported by Hunter College, City University of New York.

Since 1972, the National Center has served as a national research center dedicated to studying the use of collective bargaining as a form of workplace democracy.  It believes that collective bargaining is an important means for advancing higher education and the working conditions at colleges and universities as well as other industries.  We believe that the study of collective bargaining is essential for a knowledge-based dialogue concerning labor-management and educational issues, and is critically important for reasoned societal debate that will lead to social progress.

The National Center is comprised of labor and management professionals, practitioners, and scholars interested in studying contemporary and historical labor-management issues, best practices in collective bargaining, legal and legislative developments, and public support for higher education. It provides a clearinghouse and forum for scholarly research and ideas concerning labor relations, collective bargaining, labor history, and labor law issues.

As part of its mission, the Center hosts annual and regional conferences and publishes a peer review journal and a monthly newsletter that offer unique insights into current and historical issues and trends in collective bargaining. University administrators and union leaders collaborate in National Center's activities.