Penn’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors hosted a rally for the National Day of Action for Higher Education on April 17.
Credit: Caleb CrainOver 50 people expressed their support for Penn graduate student workers’ unionization movement at a rally in front of College Hall on Wednesday.
The rally was led by the Penn chapter of the American Association of University Professors, GET-UP, Penn Museum Workers United, and United RAs at Penn. The groups organized their demonstration in response to an “eleventh-hour attempt by the university administration to thwart the graduate workers’ union election.”
Earlier this week, the DP reported that the unionization election for graduate student workers would be rescheduled to May 1 and 2, a two week postponement from the original scheduled date. The rescheduling came two days after the election was postponed indefinitely.
A University spokesperson said the election was rescheduled due to the National Labor Relations Board's issuance of an order on April 10, which stated that an additional group of Ph.D. students is permitted to vote in the union election. The NLRB determined that the election needed to be postponed from its original date because of the time needed to comply with the NLRB’s voter list requirements.
On April 15, the University and the union agreed to a stipulation rescheduling the election.
“The election has been postponed for administrative reasons beyond the control of any party to the election,” the spokesperson wrote. “Since receiving the NLRB’s April 10 Order, Penn has fully cooperated with the NLRB to identify alternative dates for the election this semester. Penn encourages all students who are eligible to vote to learn as much as possible about this significant issue and to vote.”
Kyla Mace, a fifth-year graduate researcher in the Biomedical Graduate Studies program and GET-UP organizer, spoke about her disappointment due to the election postponement.
“My union was supposed to have our election today. I should have cast my ballot already. I should be escorting people to the polls,” she said.
Clancy Murray, a fourth-year Ph.D. student and GET-UP organizer, expressed similar disappointment with the slowdown. They criticized the administration for “trying to delay and deny our rights to this democratic process.”
“The recent union organizing surge in high education speaks to a need for more democratic representation,” Murray added. “We need more democracy in universities, the decision making should not be in the hands of trustees and donors, but rather should be in the hands of the people who make this university run.”
State Senator Nikil Saval (D-Pa.) came to show his support of the union and expressed confidence in the success of the vote.
“I’m really confident that the union will have a positive outcome because there is an overwhelming desire for workers to assert that unions belong at Penn,” Saval said.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect that the rally was led by AAUP-Penn and three labor organizing groups at the University; and that the NLRB's issuance of an order on April 10 stated that an additional group of Ph.D. students is permitted to vote in the union election.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
