Categories: Updates

Our organizing wins two tentative agreements, while Penn stays silent on what matters

Mounting graduate worker pressure on management won two Tentative Agreements in yesterday’s bargaining session! Between grad workers’ successful January rally, packing the bargaining room in support of international student worker rights, and continuous pressure on Penn admin to stand up to the Trump administration’s attacks on academia and DEI, we saw management take a more collaborative approach in negotiations yesterday and make significant concessions on issues they previously expressed resistance to. We successfully reached two Tentative Agreements: Communication of Agreement and Training — both of which were originally introduced in October. Unfortunately, despite promises to have a new response to our proposal on Prohibition Against Discrimination, Unlawful Harassment, and Abusive Conduct, Penn admin came empty handed.

In order to push admin to agree to fair protections against discrimination, harassment, and abusive conduct, grad workers across Penn are signing this petition demanding broad and enforceable rights. If you haven’t yet, sign now and join over 700 of your coworkers who have already added their names!

Here is a summary of yesterday’s session:

We reached a tentative agreement on the Communication of Agreement. This article obligates Penn to make our future contract accessible on a university website — something admin originally said they would ‘never do’.
We also reached a tentative agreement on Training.
Admin presented a counterproposal on Intellectual Property.
We presented counterproposals on Grievance and Arbitration and Workspace and Materials.
Penn gave no response on Prohibition Against Discrimination, Unlawful Harassment, and Abusive Conduct, despite telling us they would have a new counter-proposal for us weeks ago.

Admin’s lack of response to our Prohibition Against Discrimination, Unlawful Harassment, and Abusive Conduct proposal has damaging implications for Penn graduate workers as a whole, but especially for international graduate workers. Our proposal seeks to enshrine protection from discrimination based on national/ethnic origin and immigration/visa status, that in light of recent events, has become even more essential.

Under the Trump administration, immigrants, undocumented workers, and international scholars face escalating threats to our immigration status and our right to work and organize. On Wednesday, March 26 at 3pm, UAW members will be holding a Know Your Rights training on international students’ and scholars’ legal and contractual rights and how academic workers can work together to enforce and expand these rights through our union. You can join the training in Fisher Bennett Hall Room 401 or over Zoom. Sign up here to attend!

Continued pressure on the University will help maintain momentum following yesterday’s successful bargaining session. Building graduate worker power across campus is essential to winning the strong first contract that we all deserve. Join your coworkers at the next bargaining session on Tuesday, March 25 from 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM. RSVP here to join!

In Solidarity,

The GETUP-UAW Bargaining Committee

Clara Abbott

Emily Aunins

Peter Bailer

Oishi Bardhan

Kal Brown

Caitlin Frazee

Katelyn Friedline

Adina Goldstein

Sam Herrmann

Jimmy Kelliher