As the Penn State Office Workers Organizing Committee shoots for its goal of unionizing before May, University officials are concerned about unionization's effects and continue to doubt the committees's objectives.

"We don't think (office worker unionization) is necessary," said University Director of Human Resources Jim Elliot. "We think the Steelworkers are the wrong union, at the wrong time, and in the wrong place."

The committee chose to affiliate with the United States Steelworkers of America because of its resources such as technical services for collective bargaining, pension and insurance matters, and legal issues, said Kathy Itinger, head secretary of the Comparative Literature Department.

The office workers' unionizing attempt runs contrary to everyone's best interests, Elliot said.

PSOWOC members disagree with the University's actions thus far.

"We think (University officials) should remain neutral in the whole issue . . . I think in a public institution like Penn State, which is also a higher education institution, the administration has an obligation to remain neutral," said Jennifer Morris, an administrative aide and member of PSOWOC.

The administration is conducting a "paper war" to convince office workers not to unionize, said Katie Gohn, secretary of the Dean's Office of Liberal Arts and a PSOWOC member.

Office workers have received at least two letters from the administration about the implications of unionizing. But, Elliot said, the letters are for informational purposes only.

A Sept. 19 letter stressed the importance of making an informed decision about unionization.

"Although the authorization card may look innocent and signing it may seem insignificant, please understand that a signed authorization card could have long-lasting implications and commitments for you and fellow employees for years to come," stated James M. Wagner, associate vice president for Business and Operations, in the letter.

The letter contains information about signing cards, union voting procedures, and certain laws affecting unions.

"While we believe that the formation of a union represented by the Steelworkers would not be in your best interests, the decision is yours to make. We simply want you to have sufficient knowledge to make an informed decision if you are approached by someone requesting you to sign an authorization card," the letter said.

"By (University officials) sending out information, they're also sending out a message that maybe we're not giving correct information. That's how I look at it," Morris said, adding that,"A lot of the statistics we give out are not something we made up, but are coming from the U.S. Department of Labor statistics . . . we're not making up stuff at all."

The University letters were sent in response to office workers' questions about unionization, Elliot said, noting many questions have been directed to the Office of Human Resources.

"We feel it's important that (the office workers) be informed," Elliot said.

Officeworkers disagree with one of the points in a letter dated Dec. 19, 1988 concerning merit recognition.

"Officials are making statements like, 'Well, if you get a union there won't be any more merit raises.' There aren't any merit raises at Penn State! So what? I think that's a very misleading statement to make to the public because maybe some people don't realize we only get cost-of-living raises," Morris said.

Officials say the University has already made efforts to give employees a voice and better conditions.

"There's a number of things we're moving forward on the behalf of employees," Elliot said, citing the Strategic Study Group on the Status of Women that was appointed by University President Bryce Jordan to study benefits for part-time workers, child care, and salary-administration classification, he said. The committee was formed in 1985, and released its final reports in March of last year.

One of the recommendations the committee made was the improvement of conditions for women staff members in the areas of salary, opportunities for development, advancement, and recruitment.

Among issues the PSOWOC wants administrators to address are:

-- Wages.

-- Comparable Worth.

-- Grievance Procedures.

-- Fringe Benefits.

-- Health Plans.

"We don't want to break the University. We don't want tuition to rise," Gohn said. "Everybody wants better pay, but I really think if there was fairness in the system -- fairness that we could have control over -- things would be a lot better."

In October 1983, some University office workers affiliated with a national clerical union called Nine-to-Five and called themselves "Nittany 9-to-5," Morris said. However, the office workers were not pleased with the results they got from this organization, so they disaffiliated in fall 1987, she said.

Soon afterward they formed a group called "Nittany 8-to-5" in order to concentrate attention on local concerns, Morris added.

Now the office workers are in the process of disincorporating "Nittany 8-to-5" while trying to gain support to join the United Steelworkers union, so their needs will be addressed with a more potent voice in Pennsylvania, Gohn said.

The office workers hope to get support from students and faculty members -- groups that have a voice, Gohn said.