University of Pennsylvania postdocs and research associates vote to unionize

Postdoctoral researchers and research associates at the University of Pennsylvania have voted to form a union.

The roughly 1,500-person bargaining unit is just the latest to emerge from a wave of organizing efforts by multiple groups, comprising thousands of student workers, who have voted in favor of unionizing at Penn, Philadelphia’s largest employer.

“We do most of the groundbreaking research here at Penn, but we don’t actually even get the benefits that many staff workers get here,” said Bridget Begg, a postdoctoral researcher in biochemistry and biophysics.

Postdocs are often in their late 20s to mid-30s “trying to begin our lives,” Begg notes. Postdocs don’t get a match from the university on their retirement savings, said Begg, who also pointed to dependent healthcare benefits being better at unionized institutions.

“These are the kinds of things that set you up long-term in life,” she said.

Votes were cast on Wednesday and Thursday, and results of the union election were shared on Thursday evening.

The proposed bargaining unit at Penn would be affiliated with United Auto Workers (UAW).

Some 703 people voted for the union and 38 voted against it, which roughly represents 95% voting in favor, according to the UAW.

“We are thrilled with tonight’s results, and ready to work with the university towards a more democratic workplace,” said Emily Perkins, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology in a statement.

The UAW has more than 400,000 active members across the U.S. and Canada. Despite its name, it has expanded over the years to represent not just auto workers, but employees of hospitals, private nonprofits, and universities.

“We’re critical parts of the research process here at Penn,” said Ryan Fair, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of radiology. “We make up a large number of the researchers doing the day-to-day lab work, but we also serve as leaders within our lab, helping to manage undergrads and graduate students, and then also helping with writing papers and writing funding proposals.”

The postdocs and research associates want to ensure their salaries and benefits are in line with peer institutions where research workers have unionized already, said Fair. They’re also seeking better childcare benefits, parental leave policies, and immigration support for international members, among other things.

“The NLRB has counted the ballots, and initial results indicate that the majority who cast a ballot voted to unionize with UAW,” said a Penn spokesperson on Thursday evening. “We expect the NLRB to certify the election unless either party files an objection.”

The UAW looks forward to supporting Penn workers as they bargain their first contract, said Raymond Jensen Jr., assistant director for UAW Region 9.

“Penn postdocs and research associates deserve benefits and protections that reflect their role as highly skilled academic workers and scientific collaborators,” said Jensen. “The vote results send a strong signal to Penn’s administration. It’s time to sit down at the bargaining table and negotiate the improvements and protection these workers deserve.”

At Penn, the recent union election is just the latest in a wave of labor organizing efforts.

Last year, graduate student workers voted in May to join UAW, and the following month, residence hall assistants secured their first union contract with OPEIU Local 153. In 2023, residents and fellows training at University of Pennsylvania Health System also voted to unionize with the Committee of Interns and Residents.

Postdocs at Penn join those at the University of California, Columbia University, and the University of Washington among others who have unionized with UAW since 2008.

“We work long hours for modest pay, minimal benefits, and no job security as we navigate constantly shifting career prospects — which are increasingly tenuous in the current national political climate,” wrote two postdoc fellows at Penn in an opinion piece published in The Inquirer in June.

The union election comes at a time in which universities are grappling with uncertainty around federal funding.

“We have already seen some of those effects sparsely scattered among postdocs and research associates here at Penn,” said Fair. “One of the things that we’re seeking to achieve is better protections from those federal cuts by forming a union.”

In March, Penn enacted a hiring freeze as it prepared for threatened federal funding cuts, and in June the university took out $500 million in three lines of credit amid the funding uncertainty.

Ahead of the union vote this week, Penn challenged the group’s petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board. The university argued the workers were temporary employees and did not qualify for collective bargaining, and that some among the group do not share “a community of interest,” among other issues. Ultimately, a regional director at the NLRB decided in June that an election could go ahead.

Philadelphia City Council members penned a letter to Penn’s president and provost earlier this month in support of the postdocs and research associates, calling on Penn leadership to respect the outcome of the election.

“If Postdocs and Research Associates vote to form their union, we urge Penn to promptly bargain with them in good faith for a fair contract,” the letter reads. “Particularly given the current threats to federal research funding, it would be disappointing to see Penn expend additional resources delaying workers’ democratic rights when research institutions, public officials, and workers are in a fight together to defend the research enterprise itself.”