Penn State’s head of research said a vote on faculty unionization will happen this semester, and that if faculty do decide to unionize it could have a negative impact on research.
Andrew Read, Penn State’s senior vice president for research, made the comments during a research-focused university town hall Thursday. He says he has “serious concerns” about faculty unionization.
“I think it’s almost certainly going to lead to fewer faculty, because the pie is fixed,” Read said.
And, he said, when he looks at the country’s top 30 research universities by expenditure, only one, the University of Pittsburgh, has unionized faculty. Penn State ranks 25th.
“I think it’s going to make it harder to return to being a top 15 university,” Read said.
He asked town hall attendees to look at the Pitt contract as an example, to do some research and to talk to each other about unionization before the vote.
"This is a very historic moment for Penn State. It will change the face of Penn State for the next century and beyond," Read said.
Penn State Faculty Alliance filed the paperwork to unionize in December. They’ve pointed to reasons including work loads and having a greater voice in big decisions.
Read says the vote on faculty unionization will happen before the end of this semester.
