Yesterday, Penn admin sent an email to all Postdocs and Research Associates that claimed to provide impartial information about the efforts of academic researchers to form a union. Penn’s claims are designed to create confusion about the unionization process by leaving out important details.
In order to provide more information, we have broken down Penn’s message and explained each part below. You will also have a chance to hear from other Postdocs and Research Associates and ask questions about the unionization process at the RAPUP-UAW Virtual Town Hall TODAY, May 7, at 5:30pm. RSVP to attend!
| WHAT PENN SAID | WHAT THEY LEAVE OUT |
| “The University of Pennsylvania recently learned that The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency, to unionize all Postdoctoral Researchers, Postdoctoral Fellows, NRSA Postdoctoral Fellows, and Research Associates.” | The petition to form a union was filed by Postdoctoral Researchers, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Research Associates wanting to improve our research and working conditions at Penn. Admin’s email omits this information to make it seem like the unionization effort is being driven by an outside organization. In reality, it is a movement by and for Postdocs and Research Associates at Penn. Early in the unionization discussions, Postdocs and Research Associates on our Organizing Committee democratically decided to affiliate our efforts with the UAW. Tens of thousands of academic workers have formed unions affiliated with the UAW, including postdocs and research associates at Columbia University, Princeton University, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), University of California, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of Washington, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Led by postdocs and supported by UAW resources, each of these unions has won significant improvements to their working conditions by collectively negotiating strong contracts with their institutions. You can read more about these postdoc contract wins on our website. |
| “Today, the NLRB convened a hearing to determine who is eligible to vote, the date(s) of the election, and where/how the election will be conducted. We will share more about the election details once they have been finalized.” | Instead of agreeing to an election, like Johns Hopkins University did with unionizing postdocs at that institution earlier this week, Penn admin requested a hearing at the NLRB because they do not believe that Postdoctoral Researchers, Postdoctoral Fellows, and Research Associates are workers, but are instead “temporary employees.” At the hearing, individual Postdocs and Research Associates shared testimony about our work duties, responsibilities, and career trajectories to underscore that we are employees and that we belong in a union together. This hearing will potentially delay an election for months while the NLRB comes to a decision. Penn can drop their objections at any time and allow us to vote, but are instead choosing to disenfranchise their employees and delay an election. |
| “As part of this process, Penn will be legally required to provide the NLRB and the union with the name, home address, and personal contact information (including home and cell phone numbers and personal email addresses) of all confirmed eligible voters. Unfortunately, we cannot control how the union uses this information. Please know we would never share this information unless required by federal labor law.” | This is a completely normal part of the unionization process, during which the Penn administration and RAPUP-UAW are placed on equal footing to contact Postdocs and Research Associates about the unionization effort. Any contact information provided to Postdocs and Research Associates involved in the unionization process will be stored securely and would never be shared externally. |
| “Leading up to the election, we are committed to providing factual information about unionization so all voters can make a fully informed decision. We will soon be launching a website that we will update regularly with additional facts and information, as well as key election details. To ensure voters remain up to date, we will also be sending periodic text messages linking to key information on the website.” | Penn is claiming to provide neutral, objective information, but their incomplete presentation of the facts is part of a well established anti-union playbook. Penn faculty members even published a guide on how to recognize anti-union misinformation, which you can read here. Penn Postdocs and Research Associates have also compiled a page of Frequently Asked Questions regarding our effort to form a union, which you can find here. |
To learn more about Penn’s response to our union campaign and the NLRB hearing, RSVP and attend the RAPUP-UAW Town Hall later today at 5:30PM on Zoom. We look forward to connecting there!
In solidarity,
Ryan Fair, Postdoctoral Researcher, Radiology
Kosta Plakas, Postdoctoral Researcher, Radiology
Christopher Large, Postdoctoral Fellow, Genetics
Bridget Begg, Postdoctoral Researcher, Biochemistry and Biophysics
William Drayer, Postdoctoral Researcher, Materials Science and Engineering
Emily Perkins, Postdoctoral Fellow, MindCORE/Psychology
On behalf of the RAPUP-UAW organizing committee