Penn State faculty voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionizing, in a closely watched decision that could have sweeping implications across the university.
Faculty organizers announced the vote count Thursday, calling it "the largest union election in Pennsylvania’s public sector in nearly five decades."
According to the state Department of Labor, 5,351 faculty were eligible to vote in the election. That includes part-time and full-time faculty at University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses who are not managers.
Organizers said 2,510 faculty members or about 75% of those who cast ballots voted "yes" on unionizing, while 847 voted "no."
The faculty union will be part of the Service Employees International Union Local 668.
Julio Palma, an associate professor of chemistry at Penn State Fayette and an organizing committee member, said he's "excited about the future of Penn State and Penn State faculty, and I am ready to work, because there is a lot of work ahead of us.”
Palma said the move comes as higher education is facing challenges, including, he thinks, to academic freedom and funding for research.
“So having a bargaining union gives us a legally recognized body that allows us to advocate for better employment conditions, advocate for better salaries, advocate for better benefits," Palma said. "But also, it gives us an opportunity to defend our university, the land-grant mission of our university, and defend academic freedom.”
The faculty vote comes on the heels of graduate students voting in November 2025 to unionize. It also comes amid sweeping changes at Penn State, including the decision to close seven campuses, and hire McKinsey & Company to conduct a review of the university's operational and academic operations.
Voting took place by mail between April 1 and May 6, and ballot counting by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board started Wednesday.
The Penn State Faculty Alliance filed the signatures needed for a vote with the state in December. Union supporters have said organizing will give them more of a voice when it comes to pay, working conditions and benefits.
Penn State spokesman Wyatt DuBois said the university is aware of the preliminary vote count.
"Based on the preliminary results, a clear majority of participating faculty appear to have voted in favor of representation," DuBois said in an email. "Because the results are not yet official and remain subject to the PLRB certification process, the university will share additional information with faculty following certification of the election results."
