Shovelbums at the Bargaining Table: The Return of Unions to the CRM Industry

Summary

This is an abstract from the "United States Archaeology at Crossroads Part 1: The Obstacles, the Failures, and the Victories" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

From the founding of the CRM industry – through the formation of the United Archaeological Field Technicians (UAFT) in the 1990’s, to the ever-present grumble in the hotel parking lot after a long day of shovel probes – the topic of unionization has lurked behind the scenes of the industry of academics turned business owners. After the industry’s 'victory' over the major unionization efforts of the turn of the century, the topic had seemingly drifted into the realm of an impossibility. Then, in 2023, two CRM companies found themselves losing union elections as their field crews in regional offices organized and voted for affiliation with locals of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the largest labor unions in the country. In the midst of a national resurgence in labor activism, the topic of unionization is once again confronting the CRM industry. We aim to present an overview of union efforts both past and present, the legal case for field crew unions, and counter the arguments that claim that CRM field crews are beyond organization or that the industry cannot suffer a union presence, and highlight potential benefits to the industry that would stem from its acceptance of unions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• United States Archaeology at Crossroads Part 1: The Obstacles, the Failures, and the Victories

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51545