Frequently Asked Questions
Updated: April 7, 2026
Find the answers in our comprehensive FAQ pdf and down below.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What has happened so far, and what is the process moving forward?
On December 9th, 2025, we turned in thousands of union authorization cards to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board's office in Harrisburg, along with a petition to hold a union election for Penn State faculty.
On March 19, the PA Labor Relations Board announced that ballots would be mailed to faculty home addresses from the PLRB on April 1, 2026, and must be returned by mail by Wednesday, May 6, 2026!
Ultimately, it is we, Penn State faculty, who will decide to form our union through a secret ballot election.
How did we get here?
The first, continual, and most critical step has been talking with our colleagues. Nothing replaces or is more important than having organizing conversations. Through these conversations, we identify key issues we want addressed and continue to build support and solidarity among faculty.
Following these conversations and the signing of thousands of union authorization cards, we filed for our union election with the PLRB on December 9, 2025.
About Our Union
- What is a faculty union?
- Where else have faculty organized unions?
- What have faculty unions won at other universities?
What is a faculty union?
A faculty union is a group of faculty who come together to improve their working conditions. With a union, we will collectively bargain a contract and gain real power in decisions that affect our working conditions, research, and our students' learning conditions. When we successfully establish a union, the university will be legally required to bargain with us. Without a union, the administration is not required to negotiate with any existing faculty body on labor issues such as compensation, workload, and benefits.
Where else have faculty organized unions?
As a state-related university in Pennsylvania, Penn State is the outlier for not having a faculty union. The other state-related institutions— Lincoln University, Temple University, and the University of Pittsburgh —all have faculty unions.
Among Big Ten schools, faculty members at all ranks are unionized at Rutgers and Oregon, much like our state-related peers. Michigan State, the University of Michigan, UIUC, and UCLA have long-standing non-tenure-line faculty unions. A Tenure-line faculty union was recognized in Fall 2025 at Michigan State, and tenure-line faculty at several University of Michigan campuses have either recently won unions or are currently organizing.
What have faculty unions achieved at other universities?
Faculty at other universities have won improved compensation and healthcare benefits, better job security with paths to promotion, increased training and professional development support, and a variety of roles in shared decision-making and transparency of university practices. For a very recent example addressing all of these issues, please see Pitt's newly ratified first contract.
Joining Our Union
I work at Penn State on an H-1B visa. Can I join the union?
Yes. International faculty currently on an H-1B visa can join the union. The administration cannot change the status of an H-1B visa due to unionization, nor are there any universities where this has occurred. Anyone working on an H-1B visa is protected under the law, and our union will push for more protections negotiated with Penn State.
How much will the dues be?
Dues are set at 1.39%. Penn State faculty will not pay dues until our union membership ratifies a contract that includes our wages, benefits, and issues related to research, teaching, and service. Dues cover the cost of building a strong organization that fights for faculty needs, including staff and legal support, office space, and negotiating and enforcing a collective bargaining agreement, which we vote to approve.
The process of building our union
- Who will be in our bargaining unit?
- Will all faculty be in the same bargaining unit? And why does that matter?
- Who determines what the union proposes?
- Do faculty have ways to raise concerns without a union?
- If a union is voted in, how soon might we see changes?
- What happens if I don’t like what the union negotiates?
- Why did we pick SEIU?
- What is the process for building a union?
- What if I don’t receive my ballot?
- I am a faculty member, not an administrator. Why was I left off the eligible voter list for our union election by the administration?
- Will the administration see how I vote?
- Where can I find reliable information to make an informed decision?
Who will be in our bargaining unit?
Our bargaining unit includes all non-managerial faculty at the University Park campus, in the University Libraries, and at the Commonwealth Campuses. It does not include the College of Medicine, but we would support these faculty in organizing in the future.
Will all faculty be in the same bargaining unit? And why does that matter?
Yes, we will be in the same bargaining unit. This is partially due to public sector labor board precedent: because, at a basic level, all faculty jobs are defined by some combination of research and teaching on the same campuses, the board has consistently ruled that faculty of all ranks and levels share a community of interest, which means we may not have a choice in the matter.
Even if we had a choice, though, many academic unions formed in recent years include both tenure-line and contingent faculty because they share numerous workplace concerns. For example, all faculty share an interest in annual salary increases, comprehensive health insurance coverage, clear and equitable processes for evaluation and promotion, measures to redress gender and racial inequities, safe workspaces, clear and just management of cases related to sexual harassment and assault, and transparency regarding decision-making at the university.
Who determines what the union proposes?
We, as Penn State University faculty, are the union, so we determine our proposals through democratic and transparent decision-making processes. These processes will involve input from faculty through a bargaining survey, membership meetings, research, and potentially issue-specific committees that develop proposals for bargaining. We will also elect our own bargaining committee and work with a professional negotiator from SEIU in order to have the most leverage and experience during negotiations.
Do faculty have ways to raise concerns without a union?
Without a union, there is no formally organized way for the faculty body to raise concerns, only as individual faculty and through university-run structures. We may raise concerns as individuals, but there is no requirement for the university to
listen, nor is there a system of accountability. Only with a faculty union is Penn State required by law to negotiate with us in good faith.
If a union is voted in, how soon might we see changes?
We hope to see positive changes soon through a legally binding contract, which typically takes approximately one year to negotiate. In the meantime, it will be illegal for Penn State to unilaterally decrease any of our wages, benefits, or working conditions during that process. Our goal is to move quickly through the bargaining process, and we hope the Penn State administration will do the same.
What happens if I don’t like what the union negotiates?
In our union, we will have a thorough, democratic process that encourages faculty participation. You can vote either yes or no in our contract ratification vote if you don’t like what we negotiate as a union. You can also join the bargaining committee or get involved as a college or department-level union leader.
Why did we pick SEIU?
Over 54,000 faculty members spanning sixty campuses nationwide have unionized with SEIU. SEIU Local 668 is a strong, democratically run union that represents 20,000 professional employees across the Commonwealth, in all 67 counties, and has staff located throughout the state. SEIU Local 668 works within a robust ecosystem of other unions across the Commonwealth. Moreover, 668 has a significant presence in Harrisburg, and we look forward to collaborating with our administration to increase state funding for higher education after we win our union.
What is the process for building a union?
The first, continual, and most critical step has been talking with our colleagues. Nothing replaces or is more important than having organizing conversations. Through these conversations, we identify key issues we want addressed and continue to
build support and solidarity among faculty.
Following these conversations and the signing of thousands of union authorization cards, we filed for our union election with the PLRB on December 9, 2025.
We’ve received official dates for our upcoming union election, and voting has begun! Ballots were mailed to faculty home addresses by the PLRB on April 1, 2026, and must be returned to the PLRB office in Harrisburg by Wednesday, May 6, 2026! Ballots will be counted beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
What if I don’t receive my ballot?
If you do not receive your ballot at your home address by Friday, April 10, at 8:30 AM, you should communicate immediately with the PLRB by sending an email request for a ballot to katowens@pa.gov and cc’ing psfainquiries@gmail.com. The email must include your typed full name, mailing address, job title, reason for the request, and the name of your employer (Pennsylvania State University) for a ballot to be issued. The last day to request a duplicate or challenged ballot is Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
If you have questions about the voting process, how ballots are mailed, or how to update your address, email psfainquiries@gmail.com. Faculty organizers will be reaching out as we continue to build our union and move forward to win our election.
I am a faculty member, not an administrator. Why was I left off the eligible voter list for our union election by the administration?
The administration decided to leave a sizable group of faculty off the voter list due to what we consider an overly expansive definition of “supervisor.” They have excluded from the voter list any faculty who would otherwise be included if they have postdocs, staff, or other faculty underneath them in the Penn State organizational chart.
As PSFA, we did not, and do not agree with this definition of supervisor. Moreover, we don’t believe it has legal validity. It is not how Pitt, Temple, or the PASSHE schools define a supervisor, and there is no case law that supports their argument.
The PLRB will have to rule on this issue after we win our vote, and we are committed to fighting to keep the faculty united at Penn State in one union. If you are a faculty member who has been incorrectly left off the voter list by the administration, you can contact the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) at katowens@pa.gov to request one and cc our union email, psfainquiries@gmail.com.
Will the administration see how I vote?
No. Only agents of the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board will see our election ballots. Their method of counting ballots will not record how any individual voted.
Where can I find reliable information to make an informed decision?
Penn State faculty members from University Park and from the Commonwealth campuses are working together to organize our union, and we’re always happy to answer your questions. You can email us at psfainquiries@gmail.com.
How would having a union impact me?
WHAT DOES HAVING A UNION MEAN FOR MY PAY, BENEFITS, AND JOB SECURITY?
How would unionization affect my salary and benefits?
Unionized faculty and other workers typically earn more than their non-union counterparts. We, the faculty, are the union, and we vote to ratify our collective bargaining agreement. Elsewhere, faculty have won major pay increases and better benefits through forming their unions. We intend to do the same at Penn State.
How could unionization help with budget cuts, campus closures, and layoffs?
We have just experienced the difficulties of campus closures that we had no voice in without a union. While layoffs and closures can still occur under a union contract, we can negotiate provisions that govern layoffs, including recall, severance, and more. Moreover, any major changes are subject to "impact bargaining", which means that the administration has to meet with us to discuss any changes.
Could our faculty union go on strike?
To strike, all of the faculty at Penn State would have to vote overwhelmingly to do so. It's fair to say that we would only vote to do so if it were absolutely necessary to win positive change for our students, our research, and our working conditions.
HOW COULD OUR UNION IMPROVE HOW THE UNIVERSITY OPERATES?
- To what extent could unionization change how grievances, disputes, or workplace concerns are resolved?
- Can the University increase wages or improve benefits during a union campaign?
- How will a union affect flexibility in my unit?
- How would unionization relate to faculty governance?
- How could union representation protect workers on the job?
- Could a faculty union increase red tape?
- How could we improve the quality of education we provide to our students through our faculty union?
- Could a faculty union increase tuition costs?
- How will our union affect our ability to recruit great talent?
- Would a union contract stop me from negotiating a better salary, say, if I got an offer from another institution?
- Could I be retaliated against for forming a union?
To what extent could unionization change how grievances, disputes, or workplace concerns are resolved?
A collective bargaining agreement would finally establish a clear, transparent, and formal process for addressing our grievances and workplace concerns, which will end with a neutral 3rd-party arbitrator.
Can the University increase wages or improve benefits during a union campaign?
Yes, we would always welcome raises and improvements to benefits, but thanks to legal restrictions, the University wouldn't be able to worsen our wages or benefits during our effort to unionize.
How will a union affect flexibility in my unit?
We set the priorities for our union and for bargaining our eventual contract. We can include as much standardization as we want, along with as much flexibility for units and departments as we want. Even as we advocate for the changes we want to see, we don't have to change anything we think works well. In fact, through a union and a contract, we can codify practices that work so they can't be changed unilaterally without faculty input.
How would unionization relate to faculty governance?
Forming our faculty union is how we can win real shared governance at Penn State. At present, we are constantly reminded that our faculty senate only has the power to address curricular issues, and the faculty senate will continue to have that power. In turn, we would address labor-related issues through our union. On many campuses, faculty senate and faculty union leadership work collaboratively to ensure faculty shared governance. We intend to do the same here.
How could union representation protect workers on the job?
We will decide which protections to include in a faculty union contract. Generally, unions protect good workers from arbitrary treatment. Our faculty colleagues are motivated and committed to teaching, scholarship, research, and our students. We aren't forming a union to lower our high standards; rather, it will mean that faculty receive due process and representation. In some cases, if a faculty member is struggling and needs support, a union representative might be able to help identify and address the problem before severe disciplinary action or termination is necessary.
Could a faculty union increase red tape?
Unions promote transparency and defined systems that cut through university bureaucracy. A union ensures we can negotiate fair, clear processes and rules that are applied evenly. Systems are already difficult to navigate because they change frequently and seemingly without rationale; a faculty union reduces existing red tape by creating a direct relationship with the administration.
How could we improve the quality of education we provide to our students through our faculty union?
A faculty union fosters—even mandates—a constructive dialogue with University administration. As a union, we will be better able to advance the university's academic mission while keeping the administration accountable. When faculty members have a real seat at the table and are involved in the University's operational decision-making, we can secure investment in education and educators. Again, when we improve our working conditions, we improve students' learning conditions.
Could a faculty union increase tuition costs?
It is no secret that tuition at PSU is already high. This is due to administrative costs and other spending, not high instructor salaries. Our classes generate more than enough money that the administration could pay for the benefits of a union contract without increasing tuition, if they chose to do so. Placing checks and balances on administrators and increasing transparency about where our students' money goes are our best bets for getting tuition under control.
How will our union affect our ability to recruit great talent?
The list of unionized universities, from the University of California to Harvard, with Big Ten flagships in between, shows that faculty unions teem with great talent. In fact, unionized faculty often report that the higher standards they achieve through unionization enable them to recruit more talented faculty.
Would a union contract stop me from negotiating a better salary?
Our goal is to raise the bar for everyone: union contracts typically set salary floors, not ceilings. Union contracts typically establish a minimum for each type and rank of worker, allowing individual faculty members to negotiate better conditions for themselves if they have leverage, such as another offer. (See the University of Pittsburgh's collective bargaining agreement for an example of this.)
In a union, wages are set in the contract we negotiate and approve. Some union contracts - like Pitt's - do have merit pay formulas, but always on top of across-the-board pay increases. We will negotiate our contract based on democratically determined faculty priorities.
Could I be retaliated against for forming a union?
Retaliation for union activity is illegal under Pennsylvania labor law. Moreover, you have the support of thousands of faculty at Penn State and 2 million SEIU members nationwide to back you up.