Research Associates and Postdocs United at Penn will vote on unionization on July 16 and 17.
Credit: Ethan YoungPenn's research associates and postdocs will head to the polls in mid-July to vote on whether to form a union, marking a significant development in a years-long campaign to secure collective bargaining rights.
The upcoming election on July 16 and 17 at Houston Hall will determine whether over 1,000 eligible postdocs and research associates will be represented by Research Associates and Postdocs United at Penn — an aspiring union of University researchers who are affiliated with the United Auto Workers. In an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, the organizers said that the vote reflects an overwhelming interest in formalizing workplace protections, citing a supermajority of support when RAPUP filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board in April.
The initiative follows months of organizing — including a rally outside the Penn Board of Trustees meeting earlier this month — and culminated in an official NLRB June 27 decision to allow the election to occur.
“We succeeded in demonstrating to Penn that, despite their delays, postdocs and research associates are really fired up,” RAPUP organizer and postdoc Emily Perkins said. “We’re really ready to vote yes for the union, and we’re adamant that Penn not obstruct the process any further.”
A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson.
Voting will take place in person, with details and location information shared through RAPUP’s website and Instagram account. The ballot will include a simple yes-or-no vote, and organizers expect a decisive result in favor of unionization. Perkins cited positive results at peer research institutions, such as Johns Hopkins, where postdocs voted 97% in favor of forming a union.
Perkins emphasized that she felt “validated” by the NLRB moving quickly to approve the election, calling the decision one that “unequivocally supported” what the group has long advocated for.
The union effort aims to establish a baseline of rights and benefits across departments. Will Drayer — a postdoc and organizer with RAPUP — described the current experience for postdocs at Penn as “heterogeneous" in an interview with the DP. Researchers’ working conditions vary significantly depending on the field and principal investigator, he noted.
Drayer and Perkins both emphasized that their goal is to ensure minimum standards across departments.
"We're hoping to establish a new floor," Perkins said. "People will be able to work with their [principal investigators] and work with their departments to get benefits and pay above that floor."
If the union is certified, RAPUP aims to prioritize collective bargaining for increased pay, job security, and support for international researchers. Perkins noted that other postdoc unions have secured longer visa terms, fee reimbursements, and childcare subsidies. She emphasized the importance of achieving these goals for a postdoc community that is 60% international.
In the weeks leading up to the election, RAPUP is focused on initiatives to increase voter turnout, including “voting parties” sorted by building. The group is also preparing to launch an online forum to support one-on-one outreach meetings that would help researchers and fellows create individual voting plans.
Drayer said that even after RAPUP's June 12 rally, the University has continued to send "anti-union" messages via weekly text blasts and emails. He noted that the communications include links to a website that cautions that unions "can make promises" but "can't necessarily deliver" and "may not live up to this expectation."
One Penn FAQ page states that RAPUP initially wanted to "deny postdocs and research associates from having any opportunity to vote in a democratic election by demanding that the University voluntarily recognize the union without an election."
“As researchers who are trained to critically evaluate information, overwhelmingly, we’re viewing these messages as infantilizing,” Perkins said. “We tend to recognize them as part of a broader union-busting campaign.”
RAPUP launched its own site in response, which includes counter-messaging and information about the union’s goals and structure.
“Throughout the campaign, we’ve asked that Penn respect the democratic will of postdocs and research associates to form a union,” Perkins said. “Now that we have voting dates set, we’re asking that Penn accept the outcome of the election, and once we win our union, that they commit to a fair and timely bargaining process.”
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