Skip to main content

Logo

Dear Colleague,

September 15, 2025

We Are Forming a Penn State Faculty Union

Dear Colleague,

We are forming a faculty union at Penn State to improve pay and benefits, expand job security, and guarantee we have a voice in shaping the changes impacting our teaching, research, and service at the university. Our union, the Penn State Faculty Alliance, includes tenure-line, non-tenure-line full-time, and non-tenure-line part-time faculty across all campuses and is a part of Service Employees International Union Local 668, which represents nearly 20,000 workers across the Commonwealth.

Put simply, the university works because we do. We deserve to have decision-making power in our workplace. As a faculty union, we will have a seat at the table and be on equal legal footing with our administration. Across the country, hundreds of thousands of faculty have already formed faculty unions and won major improvements to working conditions. Read our flyer with more information about the Union Difference in higher education.

Together, we can win better benefits, regular salary increases, and job security. We can negotiate for balanced workloads and manageable class sizes. We can win oversight and transparency in the promotion and tenure process. Our faculty union will fight for equity and support for Black and brown, LGBTQ+, women, and all faculty from underrepresented communities. In this moment of uncertainty, where we face federal attacks on higher education, on immigrants and international faculty, and many others, we can advocate for and defend protections specifically for our international students and colleagues.

With a union, we can ensure that critical decisions are made through transparent and democratic processes where faculty have a voice. Faculty unions across the United States have secured these and many other gains. It is time for us to do the same.

We invite you to join us in building PSFA:

  1. Fill out our "Sign a union authorization card" form to call for a union election, and an organizer will contact you.
  2. Circulate this letter to your colleagues.
    Show your support on your Zoom screen or office door with these downloadable images.
  3. Fill out our "Get Involved” form!

In the coming weeks and months, you can expect to hear from us as we connect with all of our colleagues across Penn State to get their input and involvement in the process. You can also find more information on the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website at pennstatefacultyalliance.org/faq/.

As a union, we are committed to the continued excellence of Penn State. Together, we can make Penn State a more stable, efficient, and transparent university that puts students, faculty, staff, and community first. Join us!

In Solidarity,