PSU-AAUP has heard a lot of concern about changes to flexibility and remote work at PSU—and for good reason. The recent push for more in-region and in-office work threatens to undo many arrangements that were made in good faith with the needs of both employees and the university in mind. By unilaterally walking back these agreements, PSU risks damaging labor relations and morale across campus, and it risks further loss of the kinds of talents and institutional knowledge that can best help it thrive. PSU-AAUP calls on President Cudd and OAA to act with care in their shift toward increased on-campus workplace attendance and to recognize the particular needs of our community when implementing policy changes for on-campus work.
To this end, we’d like to see distinct changes in the administration’s approach.
- There should be data transparency from the administration about the impacts of remote work on productivity, equity, and campus life, including numbers of remote work agreements in effect, the economic and enrollment impact of such arrangements, and more.
- There should be explicit protections in the new policy for caregivers and others with needs who rely on remote work accommodations. Childcare and parking options should be expanded and made affordable so this policy change doesn’t penalize members with child or family care responsibilities, and the proposed changes aren't an effective pay cut.
- To safeguard employee needs in the face of sudden policy shift, the administration should work with PSU-AAUP to implement an appeal process for employees whose remote work arrangements are challenged or changed.
PSU-AAUP fully supports the idea of a vibrant, engaged campus where students, faculty, and staff can thrive. A vibrant, flourishing campus community supports both academic success and the success of the institution as a whole. But that vision shouldn’t come at the cost of the flexibility that helps faculty and staff manage their work and personal lives. The ability to balance these responsibilities was the result of careful, collaborative work at the bargaining table and in individual agreements with management, and undoing that work threatens to do real campus harm.
Strict, one-size-fits-all rules on remote work go against the intent of our contract and the values of trust, respect, and autonomy that are essential to a healthy, modern university. Research shows that flexible work improves well-being, boosts productivity, and helps attract and keep a diverse and committed workforce—outcomes that benefit the entire campus. To inflexibly revoke the flexibilities that support the needs of many academic professionals and staff at PSU is to change the tenor of work here at our university and to shift further away from the healthy and rewarding academic labor relations befitting a public university.
We urge the administration to uphold the values in our collective bargaining agreement and to work with PSU-AAUP to honor past agreements and create remote work guidelines that support both the university’s goals and the well-being of its community. A truly vibrant, inclusive campus can only be built through real partnership and real respect for the people who perform the labor of the university, and that begins with recognizing the needs of individuals in balancing the challenges of work and life. |
|
