AFSCME Members Call on a Common Sense and Fair PASSHE Budget

At negotiations with the Commonwealth earlier this year, AFSCME’s state bargaining team underscored the need for more funding and collaboration. We were clear, as the union for Higher Ed members, our intention was to be a partner and find solutions together to sustain not only the workforce but affordable college for all commonwealth residents. Instead, AFSCME Council 13 members who work for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) are once again facing potential furloughs.

On September 15, AFSCME Council 13 was notified through a third party of PASSHE’s objective to furlough up to 175 employees. Upwards of 100 AFSCME positions across the three campuses comprising the Commonwealth University are thought to be at risk. PASSHE has yet to confirm how many campuses, jobs and occupations may be affected. For the AFSCME members who show up every day to provide affordable higher education for students, the lack of transparency goes against the core principles of Pennsylvania’s state schools.

“We make PASSHE work and we’re dedicated to the mission of higher education in PA. We want nothing more than to provide the best education system possible in our state and to help students succeed,” said Bradley Peters, AFSCME Local 2329 President and IT Technician at Edinboro Campus explained. “Yet we were kept in the dark and still are ill informed. We still don’t have any clarity on any of this. We’re talking about people’s livelihoods – your employees’ livelihoods.”

AFSCME members of PASSHE were already organizing and mobilizing for more state revenue for higher education, where Pennsylvania ranks 46th across the country in per student state appropriations, when news of the intended furloughs broke.

Dozens of members took to the Pennsylvania state capital on September 28 to rally with other allied unions to advocate for a 15% increase in funding for public higher education, for the Pennsylvania Promise plan to make college more affordable and to address legislators directly on these issues and looming furloughs.

“We need a more affordable and sustainable state school system for our children and grandchildren to attend and not have to move out of state as we are seeing today at higher and higher rates,” said Leslie Raser, AFSCME Local 2366 President and statistician at East Stroudsburg University, while attending the rally and lobby day in Harrisburg.

Members and leaders converged at the capitol to speak out against what they view as a misguided approach by PASSHE that only threatens to worsen the funding and enrollment crisis campuses face. Members are calling to partner with PASSHE leadership to address enrollment issues head-on while protecting jobs.

Bobbie Zapor, AFSCME Local 763 President at Indiana University, library assistant, attended the rally because her and her fellow members in higher education need to be heard to be part of the solution. “Instead of talking about the number of people you’re furloughing, let’s talk about where we can work together to deliver different funding streams to not have to furlough anyone in the first place. That’s why we’re here talking to legislators today. We’ve come fully prepared to build up the PASSHE system, but we could do this together with PASSHE.”

“Months ago, Council 13 was assured that budget constraints would be addressed by not filling vacancies, instead of issuing furloughs,” said Mike Maguire, the Political & Legislative Director for AFSCME Council 13. who attended the PASSHE Board of Governors meeting on October 8 on behalf of Council 13 Administrator Jim Howell to address the issue with leadership directly.  “We have faced this and overcome it before and we will do so again.”

AFSCME will follow the process laid out in the collective bargaining agreement while taking every avenue to fight to save the jobs of these hardworking university employees, who are vital to all campus operations.