Office of Human Resources

Questions about the College’s Communications Regarding Unionization

Since fall 2016, the College has been clear, honest and transparent about unionization: We believe that shared governance can be effective and we are opposed to a union at HACC.

When it became known that the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) mailed information to the homes of part-time faculty in June 2020, we were obligated to respond to ensure our faculty are informed on the College’s perspective related to unionization. In order for this information to reach our faculty in a timely manner, a mailing to faculty member’s homes was deemed most effective and expedient in sharing truthful information. Those documents can also be found in myHACC > Unionization at HACC>Adjunct Faculty.

Since we mailed this information, we received the following questions via the Corona Inquiry Online Form and provide the below responses

1. I noticed this past week, through a friend, the college sent out very nice professionally done high quality letters to adjuncts about the union. I was able to see the letter and it was well done but I do have a question. On the top it states faculty have a voice in shared governance. This year it was relayed to us and I have confirmation as I asked the question directly to admin that CCAC's recommendation was not followed through plus they were not part of any decision in finalizing a zero percent pay raise. Basically it was decided before a CCAC meeting. So why did the administration put false information that you always have a voice, where in this case there was no voice? Also with the change in the summer schedule no faculty were part of that decision as well. If there is to be true shared governance then faculty would have been part of these two situations I put forward, plus in my opinion, if there was truly shared governance then there would be no discussion of a union and then these letters would not have been sent nor would I be asking this question. The wasteful spending on a fancy letter has me more frustrated as if we ALL are to be good stewards to the college when a simple letter could have been sent for the college to get their point across. Thank you for reading.

Thank you for your question and feedback. The College Compensation Advisory Committee (CCAC), which is comprised of representatives from all three employee constituency groups, did have a voice in recommending a salary increase for FY 2020-21. The CCAC’s recommendation, which was immediately conveyed to Dr. Ski, can be found in the minutes from its Feb. 3, 2020 meeting. The recommended salary increase was considered, and subsequent salary increases were put forward for the Board’s consideration; however, a salary increase at any rate could not be accommodated because of the anticipated decrease in enrollments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. All documents related to the FY 2020-21 budget, which was approved on April 14, 2020, can be found here.

Regarding the summer schedule, decisions were initially made centrally based on information known at the time regarding the pandemic, technology resources, and enrollment. The College originally made a decision to cancel all summer classes scheduled for the first 6-week part of term for summer 2020. After the provost spoke with faculty, it was agreed to put some online courses back on the schedule, to make them 5-week instead of 6-week classes and deliver them during that early summer part of term. Additional information was provided by faculty and others that allowed the decision to be reconsidered and adjusted.

Shared governance, as defined in College Policy 100 and Shared Governance Policy 100 policy and handbook, is a philosophical framework that includes the College’s many internal stakeholders in various levels of decision-making which promotes transparency, maximizes inclusivity, fosters mutual respect, and allows the College to operate with the collaborative input of all those involved. Shared governance provides a voice. Shared governance, like collective bargaining, does not mean that all requests from all stakeholders are fulfilled.

2. For more than a year now, we've been hearing about the College's fiscal difficulties resulting from declining enrollment, resulting in a massive administrative reorganization and numerous employees either being let go or encouraged to retire early. That situation is only being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial uncertainty it puts our students and employees in. So how can you justify spending money on a scare-mongering mass mailing to faculty trying to discourage them from joining the proposed union? How much did the College waste on this bullying tactic?

Thank you for your question. As stated above, the documents that were mailed to the homes of part-time faculty were intended to provide facts in response to the documents sent by PSEA. Each faculty member should be fully informed about what a union can or cannot do if elected to represent you.

The cost to share this important information was approximately $2000, which is a tiny fraction of the College’s budget. As faculty return for the fall semester, our preference is to disseminate information electronically.

For more information about HACC’s stance on unionization at the College, please go to myHACC > Unionization at HACC.