Grad union settles unfair labor practice charge

While University officials have not admitted fault, they have agreed to a settlement with Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania over an unfair labor practice charge filed by the would-be graduate student union last February.

The National Labor Relations Board oversaw the settlement and announced the terms early this week. Under the settlement, the University must send an e-mail to faculty members alerting them of their right to strike or join picket lines.

The unfair labor charge arose over an e-mail distributed by the University to all faculty and staff members during the GET-UP strike in February.

"Staff members who do not report to work because of strike-related conditions may not be paid for the time absent and may be subject to disciplinary action," according to the e-mail.

At the time, GET-UP contended that the administration violated federal law by sending out the e-mail.

Administrators maintain that they did nothing wrong and that they chose to settle for other reasons.

"The purpose of the agreement is to put the matter behind us and move on," University President Amy Gutmann said.

Agreeing, University spokeswoman Lori Doyle said, "The University decided to enter into a settlement agreement to avoid costly and time-consuming litigation."

"We want to ... focus our energies on the various initiatives under way to improve graduate school education at Penn," she added.

In accordance with the agreement, the University will send out a formal NLRB notice to employees stating that administrators will not threaten employees "with possible discipline for concertedly engaging with other employees in refusing to cross lawful picket lines."

The notice will be sent via e-mail to all department heads sometime this week.

Although the University has not admitted any guilt, GET-UP is claiming this settlement agreement as a victory.

"It is very positive that the University acknowledges it violated U.S. labor law," said Sayumi Takahashi, GET-UP co-chairwoman and a graduate student in comparative literature and literary theory.

"We think there were some things that happened during the strike that were not in the realm of legality, and we are gratified that this is being acknowledged," she said, adding that it is important for members of the University community to be aware of their rights in organizing on campus.

While GET-UP officials are pleased with the settlement, it does not end their struggle to be recognized as a union by the University.

In a press release, GET-UP co-chairman and graduate student in English Joe Drury called last February's e-mail "a shameful, illegal act of intimidation."

He added, "The best way for them to make amends and avoid further disputes of this kind is to come to the table with us and start the bargaining process."

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