HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Wolf released the following statement on PASSHE and APSCUF contract negotiations:
“I have monitored negotiations between PASSHE and APSCUF closely and I have had many conversations with both sides. Throughout all of this I have repeatedly urged both sides to continue talking until an agreement is reached.
“We must ensure our professors are treated fairly while recognizing PASSHE’s difficult financial situation due to years of underfunding.
“There is enough common ground for the two sides to reach a final compromise. Both PASSHE and APSCUF should continue negotiations until a final agreement is reached.
“Avoiding a strike is paramount because a work stoppage will be devastating for the state system. Most seriously, a strike could drive a loss of students, which would further exacerbate an already precarious financial situation for the state system. We have to look no further than what happened to Temple University following the faculty strike in 1990. It took years for Temple to recover its student population.
“We all agree that the higher education of our students is a top priority, and tomorrow students should show up to class and professors should show up to teach them.”