Labor Decision | Penn graduate-student assistants are not employees of the University and therefore don’t have the right to unionize, according to a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board.
The August 26 decision formally shut the door on a three-year organizing effort at Penn, though union supporters here have vowed to continue working for labor reforms even without support from above.
In related news, Penn President Amy Gutmann announced that stipends for graduate students would increase 11 percent, to a minimum $17,500, starting next year. Gutmann stated, “Graduate student support is essential for recruiting and retaining the very best graduate students and extraordinary faculty members from around the world, which is at the heart of our mission.” —S.F.
