Will Penn State grad assistants vote to unionize? The dates have been set

Penn State and the Coalition of Graduate Employees have tentatively agreed on the dates to hold the graduate union election.

According to a press release from CGE, an employee-led advocacy group and union campaign, the dates are April 10-13 at University Park campus, April 16 at Hershey Medical Center and April 17 at Penn State Harrisburg.

“We are thrilled to finally have a vote,” Jerome Clarke, coalition co-president, said in the release. “This has been years in the making, and we’re looking forward to voting for our union.”

In February 2017, a group of Penn State graduate assistants filed for a union representation election with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board. Less than a month ago, on Feb. 9, the PLRB ruled in their favor, saying that grad assistants are permitted to unionize under the Pennsylvania Employee Relations Act.

Penn State has made its opposition to unionization clear, saying the university considers graduate assistants to be students first and foremost.

“All eligible graduate student voters are encouraged to make their voices heard when the election is held,” Penn State spokesman Reidar Jensen said in an email. “We continue to encourage graduate students to become informed and consider all points of view as they formulate their own opinions regarding graduate student unionization.”

The release said that more details regarding times and specific polling locations will be available following the release of the official order by the PLRB.

This story was originally published March 2, 2018 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Will Penn State grad assistants vote to unionize? The dates have been set."