Talks continue between Penn State, Teamsters on work concerns during coronavirus pandemic
A Penn State union that represents more than 2,000 employees is asking the university for improved safety measures during the coronavirus, along with comp time and other requests, but talks continue as many issues remain unresolved.
Teamsters Local 8 — which consists of workers in hospitality, maintenance, landscaping and various other support roles at University Park and the commonwealth campuses — sent a letter to Penn State on March 20 with numerous concerns, ranging from the availability of personal protective equipment to comp time and “busy work.” By March 24, according to the group’s publicly available Facebook page, at least 16 different questions and requests were posed to the university.
And, so far, little has been revealed publicly.
The union contends its members should receive comp time, or equivalent time off, for working as essential employees while the university is virtually shut down. But Teamsters President Jon Light said last Wednesday in a social-media post that the university has not and will not offer future time off for those performing essential work while others continue to be paid despite staying home and not working.
“This is very disappointing news to the Union and our members who come in and do their jobs, facing the fear of working around the virus every day,” Light said in a Facebook post. “It is sad that they don’t recognize the risk our members endure. We will be filing a grievance and fighting this.”
Light declined to comment further to the Centre Daily Times, as did several other union members. When reached Tuesday, Light said via email, “At this time, we are working (with the) University to resolve our issues.”
In the letter sent out March 20, addressed to Penn State Senior Director of Labor and Employee Relations Rob Hartman, Light said he understood some employees were required to work, but he disagreed with the university’s judgment on who needs to work. He asked for maintenance to be limited to safety checks and emergency repairs, not project work or landscape work. He wanted employees who work within close quarters to have PPE. And he also wrote that, “there is no need to clean buildings no one has access to.”
It’s unknown if Penn State has directly addressed any of those concerns. The university also declined an interview request, instead issuing a statement to the Centre Daily Times.
“During this unprecedented national and global crisis, Penn State is meeting its education, research and service mission through the extraordinary contributions of all of its employees,” the statement read. “While most employees are working remotely, some who perform mission-critical functions, categorized as such by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, are required on site.
“Penn State is working diligently to meet the PPE and other safety-related requirements that keep its employees safe, and enable them to deliver these services, which include things like housing, IT, maintenance, utility systems, and lab and animal care, to name a few. Buildings can be accessed only by approved personnel. This is consistent with published guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, which we have confirmed with that office.”
President Eric Barron announced last week that all university employees, both part-time and full-time, will be paid and given benefits through the month of April. But he also said layoffs and furloughs were not off the table.
According to a Penn State spokesperson, in the auxiliary units alone, the university’s estimated revenue losses for the semester will exceed $95 million.
Barron said the administration would begin discussions surrounding potential layoffs and furloughs around the middle of the month.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 4:19 PM.
