From our colleagues at United RAs at Penn–OPEIU Local 153:
United RAs at Penn–OPEIU Local 153 has learned that Graduate Student Resident Advisors who also perform research or instructional services may be forced out of their position by Penn. This illegal, unilateral action by Penn seeks to leave dozens of graduate workers without stable housing and significantly undermine their ability to make ends meet, while terminating the important contributions grad RAs make to their college houses. We have asked Penn HR to verify whether this is happening, with no answer for more than a week.
Read more and send a letter to Penn leadership here.
This is the latest move in Penn’s escalating campaign against organized labor. United RAs does not believe it is a coincidence that Penn is punishing the same population of graduate students represented by GET-UP, who are currently fighting for a union contract. Frankly, Penn’s administration is playing politics with the lives of its own students.
We demand that Penn freeze this policy change and issue an apology to all GRAs. We also demand that Penn reinstate summer housing for graduate RAs, a policy that has been occurring for decades which has also abruptly ended against our contract and past practice.