Postdocs and research associates at Penn have begun bargaining for a first contract! Visit our Bargaining Portal to read updates on each session, view the text of each contract proposal under consideration, and RSVP to attend future sessions as an observer.
Postdocs and research associates pose with over 700 ratification signatures to their initial bargaining demands ahead of the first bargaining session on December 11, 2025.
Through our union, postdocs and research associates are demanding better working conditions at the University of Pennsylvania and making our collective voice heard as academic researchers both locally and nationally.
Postdoctoral researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and research associates drive the world-class research, scholarship, and clinical services conducted at Penn. However, many of us struggle to afford housing, childcare, healthcare, and more in Philadelphia. Furthermore, we face increasing uncertainty about our futures – especially given the precarity of funding and the unstable regulation of visas and work authorization at Penn and in the United States.
We join a growing national movement of postdocs and other academic workers forming unions with the United Auto Workers (UAW) to improve our professional and personal lives. UAW postdoctoral and graduate student workers across the country have made important gains by advocating for fairer visa and immigration policies, better working conditions at their academic institutions, and increased federal science research funding.
A postdoc union at Penn will finally give us a say in the conditions of our employment and the often opaque and frustrating policies put forward by the administration. We will also strengthen our sense of community and empower each-other to create an environment in which we all can thrive personally and professionally.
Coming from a country where union membership is the default, I have developed a deep appreciation for the role unions play. Beyond negotiating salaries, unions are crucial for addressing power imbalances between employers and employees. This is particularly vital for international postdocs, who may face additional challenges due to their visa dependence on their employer. With union support, postdoctoral researchers gain enhanced negotiating power to improve their working conditions and access legal protection when needed. Everyone deserves a safe and fair work environment, and unions help ensure that these standards are upheld.
I want a postdoc union at Penn because I want to make being a postdoc at Penn better. I want better pay and benefits, and I want the same for my fellow workers. When the terms of our employment are better for us, we will spend less time and energy balancing our finances and health, and ultimately do better work for ourselves and Penn.