Penn State graduate student workers have overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming a union.
The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Coalition counted the 2,080 graduate student votes Thursday in Harrisburg, and 1,882 of them — or about 90% — voted "yes," according to a social media post by the Coalition of Graduate Employees at Penn State.
Organizers say the goal of the union is to ensure graduate student workers have legal workplace protections and are fairly compensated for their work.
"Nearly a year after we filed cards with the Pennsylvania Labor Board, we have finally won the right to collectively advocate for the workplace we deserve," the CGE said in an Instagram post. "We’ve demonstrated overwhelming support for our union and our willingness to show up for ourselves and each other when it counts!"
Maddy Jupina is a research assistant in the department of communication arts and sciences.
“The results of our vote demonstrate the collective power we have built and the strong mandate we have as we head into bargaining,” Jupina said in a statement. “With a union, we finally have a real voice to improve our working conditions so that graduate employees here can thrive.”
The graduate students are organizing through the UAW, or United Auto Workers, which has worked with academic workers at other universities.
Penn State said on an FAQ page that there are existing channels for graduate students to raise concerns and that their primary role is as students.
“The University deeply values the contributions of our graduate students,” said Penn State Executive Vice President and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos prior to the vote. “We also believe graduate students are students, first and foremost, at Penn State to pursue an advanced education and research training. The institution remains committed to supporting the academic journey, professional growth, and well-being of students who are integral to the University’s scholarly mission.”
The next steps for the union is to vote in a governing board and negotiate their first contract with Penn State.
Penn State’s faculty is also working on unionization efforts.
