Why Penn State engineering grad workers are voting ‘yes’ on a union | Opinion
After many years of working to organize our fellow lab mates and coworkers, Penn State engineering grads are voting yes for a grad worker union at Penn State! From Oct. 27-29 at University Park in the Dewey Room W043 Pattee Library, on Oct. 21 at Hershey in room 302B and 302C of the University Conference Center, or by mail by Nov. 13 at other campuses, graduate workers at Penn State will vote yes to form a union of Teaching Assistants (TAs), Research Assistants (RAs), and Graduate Assistants GA (GAs).
The College of Engineering is the largest college on the University Park campus, consisting of about 1,500 of the almost 5,000 grad workers at Penn State. There is a misconception that engineering grads have a “better” quality of life based on the degree we are pursuing. However, the minimum payment for graduate workers on a half-time assistantship, in engineering or otherwise, is $24,525. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the average annual expenditures for those living in PA was $57,009 in 2023.
The rising cost of necessities in the U.S. has made the living situation untenable for many graduate workers, including engineers. Contracts and pay are largely determined by individual advisors or departments. We also are sometimes required to buy our own personal protective equipment in order to conduct our research. On top of this burden, some engineering grads are also supporting spouses, kids or parents on already tight pay. Engineers are voting yes for our union because we want higher pay that more accurately reflects the cost of living in State College and all campuses in the commonwealth.
Graduate workers currently have no say in our contract or working conditions. Engineering grad workers often face overwork. It is expected for us to work far more than the hours in our contract, without the fair pay to show for it. This leads to sleep deprivation and stress, which pose risks for both computational and experimental researchers who may experience harms like carpal tunnel and eye strain from working long hours, without time for rest, on a computer. The lack of sleep and high stress can also cause accidents in experimental labs, resulting in injuries and chemical exposure. Should a grad worker take medical leave, it is unpaid! If grad workers can’t pay their rent on medical leave, we don’t meaningfully have medical leave. We need a union to enforce the terms of our contract and give us time to take care of ourselves and our loved ones.
We especially fear arbitrary threats of termination from our advisors or TA professors, with no meaningful recourse. In the Computer Science Department, for example, contracts are single-year or even single semester. Graduate workers are sometimes given less than a month of notice about whether their contracts will be renewed. This is immensely stressful for all grad workers and puts those of us who are international in an even more precarious situation. Engineering grads are voting yes for our union because we want protection from retaliation and clear avenues for accountability.
Engineering grads across the U.S. have organized to improve workplace conditions, and we can too. Grad workers are other public institutions such as University of California, University of Connecticut and University of Washington have bargained for protections against harassment, bullying and discrimination, as well as improvements to stipends and health care. It is time Penn State grad workers enjoy these improvements as well! On Oct. 27-29, engineers will have the chance to vote for our union. We are voting yes!
Dia Brown is a Penn State architectural engineering graduate student, Meera Ray is a computer science and engineering grad student, Tahir Haideri is a grad student in biomedical engineering, Matt Leoschke is a grad student in nuclear engineering and Joe Heimerl in an aerospace engineering grad student.