In the last two bargaining sessions, 8 hours in all, we discussed PSU’s plan to reopen campus. The impact of this reopening plan on members, the timing of members’ return to campus, and the conditions of that return are a mandatory subject of bargaining that requires the administration to come to an agreement with PSU-AAUP. We submitted our first proposal way back on May 5th. After 4 months without a formal reply, we were frustrated with the administration’s choice to put the health and safety of our members second to WHAT? At last Monday’s bargaining session, once again, the administration asserted that it was their right to decide who returns to on-campus work, and under what conditions. They have proposed that individual supervisors determine if remote work “effectively meets” the needs of the University, and ask that we simply trust that they have our members' best interests in mind.
The bargaining team will accept nothing less than clear language that makes remote work the default during the pandemic. Only work that cannot be done remotely under any circumstances should be done on campus. We have seen university after university make bad choices that have produced disastrous results. Despite the administration’s claim that they share an interest in our community’s health and well being, their rhetoric on the subject doesn’t match their actions nor their proposals. Moreover, it has been incredibly frustrating that during a global pandemic, they did not respond to us for 4 months and we are now left scrambling to finish an agreement before classes start.
Progress on Other Issues
While our conversations at the main table have been dominated by the frustrating reopening discussions, we have made some progress on language that will address workload for Tenure Track and Non-Tenure Track Faculty for the first time. We are especially happy that the new workload language may be able to address some of the hidden labor that happens on campus. Stay tuned for further details.
We have also made some progress on language that addresses caregiver and bereavement leave. Additionally, with the approval of the initial placement agreement, our APs will begin the process of being placed into the new classification system.
Join us Friday & Next Week!
Bargaining returns on Sept 18 (8am-12pm) - RSVP here!
When you show up on Zoom, we can negotiate from a position of greater power. Please join us for bargaining on topics including:
- Reopening
- Academic Freedom
- Post Continuous Appointment Review (PCAR) improvements
- Fixed Term Faculty issues
Additional Bargaining Dates:
- Tuesday, September 22nd, 8am-12pm - RSVP here!
- Friday, September 25th, 8am-2pm - RSVP here!