Contract Highlights

GETUP-UAW Local 5124 ratified our first union contract (Collective Bargaining Agreement) on February 27, 2026 and this contract is now in effect through June 1, 2028. Our contract includes historic economic improvements and establishes new workplace rights for all Penn Graduate Workers. This contract not only improve our lives as Graduate Workers, but would also help make Penn a more equitable, inclusive, and competitive research and education institution. Key highlights of the contract include:

• Historic stipend and wage increases to reflect the value of graduate work and cost of living:
• Minimum annual stipend of $49,000 in the first year of the contract, a 21% increase from the current minimum. The minimum stipend will increase by another 3% to $50,470 in the second year.
• Stipends already above the new minimum will increase by 3% in the first year of the contract and 3% in year two.
• New hourly minimum wage of $25. The hourly minimum will increase by 3% in year two of the contract.
• Most Graduate Workers will receive a pay increase of between 17% and 25% over the duration of the 2-year contract.
• 100% coverage of vision insurance premiums and 80% coverage of dental insurance premiums for all stipended Graduate Workers. 
• An annual dependent healthcare fund of $200,000 to cover 50% of healthcare premium costs for Graduate Workers’ dependents.
• Up to six weeks of paid long-term medical leave for stipended Graduate Workers who need to take a leave of absence for medical reasons.
• Eight weeks of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child.
• New rights for international Graduate Workers, including an annual fund of $50,000 per year to support visa renewal related costs and guaranteed paid time-off for appointments and travel for visa renewal. 
• New access to a retirement plan, from which Graduate Workers were previously excluded.
• Strong protections against discrimination and harassment, including immediate and supportive measures and an enforceable grievance process for pursuing complaints.
• Protection against unreasonable or excessive workload and a commitment to replace canceled appointments with equivalent positions.
• Job security, including “just cause” protections against unjust discipline or dismissal.
• Guaranteed access to paid time off, including 10 vacation days, holidays, and special winter vacation days.
• The ability to enforce the terms of our contract through a strong grievance procedure.
• Right to attend a Union orientation for all Graduate Workers to learn your rights and protections.
• Strong Union security, ensuring that all Graduate Workers who do not choose to become dues-paying members are required to pay a fair-share fee while covered under the benefits of the Union contract.

Contract Summary

Compensation

• Minimum annual stipend of $49,000 in the first year of the contract, a 21% increase from the current minimum. The minimum stipend will increase by another 3% to $50,470 in the second year.
• Stipends above the minimum will increase by 3% in the first year of the contract and 3% in year two.
• New hourly minimum wage of $25. The hourly minimum will increase by 3% in year two of the contract.
• Most Graduate Workers will receive a salary increase of between 17% and 25% over the duration of the 2-year contract.

Penn’s previous policy: $40,608 minimum annual stipend, no minimum hourly wage, no guaranteed annual raises.

Childcare

• Codifies childcare stipends in the amount of $2,500 for one child and $1,250 for each additional child, up to a maximum of $5,000 per semester. 
• Expands eligibility to stipended Graduate Workers with an annual household income of under $150,000

Penn’s previous policy: eligibility for full grants limited to households of 3 making $76,000 or less

Healthcare

• Codifies health coverage for stipended Graduate Workers in the Penn Student Insurance Plan (PSIP) with 100% employer premium coverage. 
• Provides Graduate Workers with vision coverage in the Aetna Vision Preferred Plan with 100% employer premium coverage. 
• Provides improved dental coverage in the Aetna Student Dental Plan with 80% employer coverage (Penn previously covered 50% of the more limited Penn Dental Family Practice Student Plan)
• Establishes a Dependent Health Insurance Fund of $200,000 from which stipended Graduate Workers can receive reimbursements of 50% of dependent health insurance premiums. Graduate Workers enrolling in dependent insurance coverage can now pay in monthly increments instead of having to pay the entire premium cost up front.
• Guaranteed grant of $1000 per semester to cover healthcare premium costs for stipended Graduate Workers in the first year after the period of guaranteed funding for those in programs funded for 4 years or less.

Penn’s previous policy: full health premium coverage, 0% vision premium coverage, reimbursement of 50% dental premium, dependent care grant of up to $500 per semester per dependent with full premium payment due at enrollment.

Holidays

• Secures paid holidays according to Penn’s University holiday schedule.
• Ensures right to observe religious and/or cultural holidays
• Establishes right to alternate days off if job assignment requires Grad Workers to work on a holiday.

Penn’s previous policy: no contractually enforceable right to holidays.

Leaves

• Establishes flexible time off for sickness, doctor’s appointments or the care of loved ones
• Establishes Graduate Workers the right to 6 weeks of paid medical leave.
• Enshrines 8 weeks of paid parental leave for Graduate Workers.

Penn’s previous policy: no contractually guaranteed sick time, no guaranteed paid leave, 8 weeks paid parental leave.

Transit and Parking

• Allows Graduate Workers who bike to work to get up to $240 of bike related expenses (including new bike purchases) reimbursed each year.
• Secures Graduate workers a 10% discount on monthly SEPTA passes.
• Grants Graduate workers access to parking on the same basis as full time staff.

Retirement

• Secures access for Graduate Workers to Penn’s Supplemental Retirement Annuity plan on the same terms currently offered to Penn staff.

Penn’s previous policy: no retirement benefits.

Training

• Provides paid time and covers associated fees for Graduate Workers to attend required or supervisor-approved, work-related training, orientations, workshops, scientific meetings and courses.

Penn’s previous policy: no contractually enforceable right to compensation for required trainings.

Travel

• Ensures direct travel funding or timely reimbursement of expenses for required travel and access to travel insurance.

Penn’s previous policy: no contractually enforceable right to reimbursement for required travel expenses.

Tuition and Fee Remission

• Guaranteed remission of tuition and fees during stipend Graduate Workers’ guaranteed years of funding.
• Guaranteed tuition and fee remission for stipended Graduate Workers working 20 hour per week appointments when in the first year after the period of guaranteed funding for those in programs with 4 years or less of funding.

Penn’s previous policy: no right to tuition or fee reimbursement beyond years of guaranteed funding.

Vacation

• Secures 10 days of vacation per year to be used within one year. 
• Research Assistants have the right to paid time off during the period between Christmas and New Years, and Teaching Assistants have the right to paid time off during all scheduled breaks in the academic term.

Penn’s previous policy: no guaranteed right to vacation days, no right to time off between the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Appointments

• Requires the University to provide Graduate Workers with an appointment letter that clearly describes the terms, duration, and anticipated hours of the appointment. In the event that a course or appointment is canceled, the University must attempt to find a comparable position for the Graduate Worker.

Penn’s previous policy: no rights to receive appointment details outlined in a letter; no right to a substitute appointment in the case of a canceled course.

Disability Accommodations

• Ensures Graduate Workers can have an enforceable process for addressing inaccessible working conditions and to seek accommodations. Gives Graduate Workers the ability to use documentation for academic accommodations through the Weingarten Center for securing employment-related accommodations.

Penn’s previous policy: no enforceable right to an interactive accommodations process; no ability to use Weingarten Center accommodation documentation in the employee accommodations process.

Discipline and Dismissal

• Gives Graduate Workers just-cause protections against unfair discipline and dismissal in their jobs.
• Penn’s previous policy: no protections from arbitrary discipline or dismissal.

Grievance and Arbitration

• Graduate Workers will have access to a robust procedure for resolving and remedying violations of the contract, including the right to appeal most grievances to a neutral arbitrator if necessary.
• Includes the right to grieve and arbitrate instances of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

Penn’s previous policy: no ability to enforce policies and procedures or challenge violations.

Employment Records

• Graduate Workers have the right to access and add comments to their employment records, and will be notified of any new discipline-related materials. These records will not be disclosed to third parties unless required by law, and the University will notify the Graduate Worker before any records are disclosed.

Penn’s previous policy: no right to access employment files and privacy protections.

Health and Safety

• Penn must provide Graduate Workers with safe and healthy working environments. Graduate Workers are not required to work in dangerous conditions.

Penn’s previous policy: no enforceable rights to health and safety at work.

Intellectual Property

• Protects Graduate Workers from retaliation when reporting potential research misconduct from an advisor, collaborator, or community member. Codifies existing rights to intellectual property outlined in Penn policy.

Penn’s previous policy: no enforceable protections against retaliation for reporting research misconduct.

Job Expectations and Schedule of Work

• Ensures that Graduate Workers are not required to work more than the estimated hours in their appointment letters, and gives Graduate Workers recourse to adjust working hours if their appointment requires them to work substantially more than estimated in their original appointment.

Penn’s previous policy: no enforceable average hours per week limit to working hours; no ability to adjust appointment hours in cases where hours are beyond the appointment estimate.

Job Postings

• Encourages Penn departments to post available positions on widely accessible forums so Graduate Workers have more equitable opportunities to apply for open positions.

Penn’s previous policy: no job posting policy for Graduate Worker positions.

Prohibition Against Discrimination and Harassment

• Establishes new rights for Graduate Workers to address discrimination and harassment, including interim measures to protect Graduate Workers during the investigative process, protection from retaliation, and the right to seek resolution on an enforceable timeline and take an unresolved complaint to a neutral arbitrator. 
• Pregnancy, lactation, and religious accommodations.

Penn’s previous policy: discrimination and harassment complaints can only be addressed through the Penn-controlled Title IX process, with no enforceable timelines and no right to appeal a complaint to a neutral third-party arbitrator.

Support for International and Immigrant Workers

• Creates a $50,000 annual fund for reimbursement of fees and costs related to the renewal or extension of a Graduate Worker’s visa. Gives Graduate Workers the right to paid time off to attend immigration proceedings. Protects Graduate Workers who, through no fault of their own, are unable to return to the US or work in the US. Requires the University to share information to Graduate Workers on how to respond to immigration enforcement officers.

Penn’s previous policy: no visa reimbursement for Graduate Workers on visas; no right to paid time-off for visa related travel or appointments; no work-related protections in cases where an international Graduate Worker is unable to enter the country.

Workers’ Compensation

• Codifies Graduate Workers’ protections under state and federal workers’ compensation law. Outlines a standardized procedure detailing how Graduate Workers who are hurt on the job can access workers’ compensation benefits.

Penn’s previous policy: no clear workers’ compensation policy for Graduate Workers.

Workspace and Materials

• Ensures Graduate Workers are provided with the supplies, materials, and workspaces required for them to perform their assigned job duties.
• Allows Graduate Workers to request to work remotely or hybrid on a temporary or permanent basis.

Penn’s previous policy: no enforceable right to adequate supplies, workspace, or materials.

Communication of Agreement

• Requires the University to publish a digital version of the finalized contract on a University website.

Duration

• The contract will go into effect immediately upon ratification, and will end on June 1, 2028. Penn and our Union Bargaining Committee will begin contract renegotiations no later than 60 days before the contract ends.

Entire Agreement

• The contract determining our wages, benefits, and terms of employment cannot be modified during its duration unless both Penn and our Union both agree.

Recognition

• Stipulates that our Union contract covers all graduate and professional students who provide research or instructional services for the University, including those who serve as Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows, Research Assistants, Research Fellows, Pre-Doctoral Trainees, and Student Workers. This includes Educational Fellowship Recipients if they provide teaching or research services for the University, including those who serve as Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows, Research Assistants, Research Fellows, Pre-Doctoral Trainees, and Student Workers.

Severability

• Any part of the contract that is found to contradict changes in the law can be renegotiated during the duration of the contract, without other changes to the agreement.

Union Access and Rights

• Ensures that Penn provides our Union with basic information about employees in the bargaining unit. 
• Provides Union time and space to orient new employees about their rights under the contract and membership in our Union
• Provides reasonable time for Union representatives to handle grievances and provides reasonable time to attend Union meetings.

Union Security

• Ensures that the Union has sufficient resources to engage in effective representation. Graduate Workers would have an obligation to become a Union member and pay dues or pay a fee to share the cost of representation. Dues and fees are the way our Union pools resources to support contract enforcement, future contract negotiations, and broader advocacy on issues that affect us, like federal research funding and international worker rights.

Labor Management Meetings

• Establishes a committee consisting of four Graduate Workers and four University representatives that will meet at least five times per year to discuss matters related to implementation of the contract. This committee provides a forum for Graduate Workers to maintain an open dialogue with the University and discuss issues outside of formal grievances.

No Strike/No Lockout

• Establishes that during the life of the contract, the Union and Penn agree they will resolve disputes under the contract through the process in the contract. To that end, the Union agrees that it will not encourage or sanction a strike and Penn agrees it will not lock out employees while the contract is in effect.

Management and Academic Rights

• Reiterates Penn’s right to manage the university as long as actions do not violate any part of our contract. Grants the University authority to make decisions on academic matters such as admissions and curricula. This is a standard article in other union contracts.