102 members of the legislature signed a letter to university president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi. Union leaders claim administration has increased “anti-union messaging.”
HARRISBURG, Pa. — As members of Penn State University’s faculty continue efforts to unionize, 102 members of the state legislature sent a letter to university president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi urging members of the administration to exercise neutrality toward unionization.
In January, faculty members filed to form a union with the Penn State Faculty Alliance (PSFA)–SEIU Local 668.
SEIU Local 668 is Pennsylvania’s social service employees union, which represents 20,000 workers in all counties in the state. Its membership includes social workers, caseworkers, prison counselors, 911 operators, career and employment specialists, unemployment compensation examiners and interviewers, school psychologists, nutritionists, vocational counselors, youth counselors, and occupational therapists.
In the last few weeks, “the PSU administration has increased its anti-union messaging, designed to divide and confuse faculty,” according to SEIU 668 leadership.
In the Frequently Asked Questions section of its Faculty Unionization website, Penn State said a faculty union could potentially “impact Penn State’s ability to compete against peers to recruit leading faculty and researchers who drive innovation,” noting that “the majority of our peers in the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Big Ten do not have unionized tenure-line faculty.”
A union could also impact Penn State’s budget and resources for academic priorities, the university claims on its website.
“Penn State operates under a tight budget, and its resources are finite,” the website says. “As resources shift to one area, it may affect the resources available for others. In addition, contract negotiations are expensive and time‑consuming and may divert resources from academic priorities.”
In a letter to Bendapudi sent by Pennsylvania Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa on their behalf, 102 members of the state legislature urged PSU administration “to allow the faculty a free and fair process to form their union and to bargain collectively, without intimidation or threats,” according to SEIU 668.
The letter also urges Penn State to:
Allow the faculty a free and fair process to form their union and to bargain collectively, free from intimidation or threats;
Avoid any action that delays or interferes with their right to seek union representation or collectively bargain;
Spend no state funds, taxpayer dollars, or tuition dollars on union-avoidance tactics or on engaging with union-avoidance firms; and,
Begin negotiations in good faith without delay if a majority of Penn State faculty members choose union representation through a free and fair election.
“The process of faculty organizing and collective bargaining at Penn State will enable the university to join all other public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth in providing a clear and transparent process for true shared governance,” the letter continues. “Improved working conditions and opportunities for faculty to help charter the course of Penn State’s future will result in even stronger results for your investment in students and communities across Pennsylvania.”