Earlier today, we received Penn’s official response to our petition for a union election. We had hoped Penn would respect the will of a supermajority of postdocs and research associates. Instead, they chose to respond in a way that makes it clear they don’t respect us as researchers or workers. Their letter begins:
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania (“the University”) asserts that there is no
appropriate bargaining unit consisting of the positions sought in the Petition, because all of the
petitioned-for employees are temporary employees who are not eligible for collective bargaining…
We are deeply disappointed that Penn is focusing their efforts and resources to stall our right to organize, employing standard union-busting techniques to delay an election and divide our unit as Postdoctoral Researchers, Fellows, and Research Associates with often identical work responsibilities. Penn knows that a supermajority of postdocs and research associates support unionization, and they are taking advantage of Trump’s attacks on scientific funding and the National Labor Relations Board by betting that union-supportive workers will leave or be let go while we wait for our election.
The National Labor Relations Board is holding a hearing to decide whether we can hold a union election. Both sides will present legal arguments and evidence, and we will send an update once things are resolved. What we do know is this: Postdoctoral workers and research associates deserve protections and benefits reflecting our enormous academic, financial, and reputational contributions to this world-class, multi-billion-dollar institution. With a union, we will win them.
Read the arguments from Penn and their lawyers here!