Portside

A majority of Harrisburg Area Community College faculty members have voted yes to forming a union.

The ballots were counted Friday by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, which confirmed the results of the six-week mail-in ballot election.

“The will of the faculty to have a union vote was evident early on in this process,” said Amy Withrow, professor of English and co-spokesperson for the Hawk Faculty United campaign. “Today, we have voted, and the faculty have voted to unionize. Whether a HACC faculty member voted for or against unionization, we will be inclusive of all. We move forward together for the benefit of our students, our communities, and our beloved institution.

“This unionization process has brought about deeper discussions among faculty about what it means to be educators in an evolving society with ever-changing workplace needs,” Withrow added. “These discussions will set a foundation from which we can improve our classrooms, our programs, and our service to our students.”

The two-and-a-half year campaign created greater solidarity between adjunct and full-time faculty that didn’t exist before, said Lewis Jones, an adjunct professor of anthropology and campaign co-spokesperson.

“Full-time and Adjunct faculty joined together and spoke with a united voice. They emphatically stated that they wanted union representation and were willing to stand up for that right,” Lewis said. “HACC has ignored the voices of the adjunct and full-time faculty for too long, trying to pit one against the other. Rather than succumb to that divisiveness we have spoken with one unified voice. We look forward to working together to create a better future for HACC, our students, our communities and South-Central Pennsylvania.

335 of the 533 who voted checked yes to union representation. PLRB sent election ballots to 828 faculty members who were on the voter eligibility list. HACC challenged 110 of those eligible to vote, reducing the number of eligible voters to 718.

HACC was the last Pennsylvania community college without a faculty union.

“We said from the beginning that we were going to change that,” Jones said. “As of today, we did.”

“We believe having a union will make HACC a better more collaborative institution and we look forward to working with the Administration to make that happen.”

The union will be affiliated with the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA).

PSEA president Rich Askey welcomed faculty to the state affiliate.

“Today’s historic vote is laying the foundation for a stronger HACC now and for generations to come,” said PSEA President Rich Askey. “I am proud to welcome these dedicated and talented faculty members to the PSEA family. We look forward to working side by side with them to negotiate a contract that is fair and equitable and treats all HACC faculty members as the professionals they are.”

The campaign officially began January 2020, only months before the declaration of the Covid pandemic. Amid the lockdown, organizers had to shift quickly from face-to-face organizing to digital and virtual.

“It was a challenge shifting our energy and resources to an on-line model,” Withrow said. “But we still had strong support and we remain proud of the work we accomplished in these unprecedented times.”

Full-time and adjunct faculty members from Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon, Gettysburg, York and Virtual campuses are included in the bargaining unit.

An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 178,000 active and retired educators and school employees, student teachers, higher education staff and health-care workers in Pennsylvania