UPenn averts strike as graduate union secures tentative deal after year of bargaining

A strike that would have disrupted teaching, grading and research at the University of Pennsylvania was narrowly avoided on Monday night, after administrators and the graduate student union reached a tentative agreement following more than a year of negotiations.

According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, representatives from Graduate Employees Together, University of Pennsylvania said the agreement was secured after administrators made “key, last-minute concessions” during bargaining. The union represents more than 3,700 graduate workers who hold teaching and research positions across the University.

The tentative deal now moves to a ratification vote by union members.

The terms of the agreement: Pay and protections

At its core, the agreement reshapes compensation and benefits for graduate workers who form a significant part of the University’s instructional and research workforce. The minimum doctoral stipend will increase from $40,608 to $49,000, a 22 percent rise. The University will also establish a minimum hourly rate of $25.

In its press release, the union said the tentative agreement includes provisions on union security, protections against discrimination and harassment, support for international workers, improved vision and dental coverage, expanded benefits for parent workers, improvements to accessibility and other workplace rights.

Childcare and medical benefits will also be enhanced under the new framework.

The University response

The University confirmed the development in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “We are pleased to announce that a tentative agreement has been reached between Penn and GETUP-UAW,” a University spokesperson said. “The next step will be the ratification of the tentative agreement by GETUP-UAW members. Penn has a long-standing commitment to its graduate students and value their contributions to Penn’s important missions.”

The spokesperson added that the University was “grateful to all the members of the Penn community who helped us achieve this tentative agreement,” according to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Strike pressure and the road to deadline

The agreement came under mounting pressure. Local politicians, faculty and students had urged both sides to finalise a contract before the Tuesday strike deadline. Prior to the final bargaining session on Monday, the two sides had already reached tentative agreements on 26 proposals.

Had negotiations collapsed, the consequences would have been immediate across classrooms and laboratories. According to the union’s website, graduate workers holding teaching and research appointments would have suspended grading, leading recitations, holding office hours and conducting certain research activities. Workers with research roles would also have refrained from starting new experiments and attending lab meetings for the duration of the strike.

In November 2025, union members overwhelmingly authorised a strike, granting leadership the authority to call a work stoppage if negotiations failed. Last month, the union announced it would suspend all teaching and research duties if a contract was not reached by February 17.

What comes next

That deadline has now passed without a walkout. For undergraduate students awaiting grades, for faculty relying on laboratory continuity and for graduate workers balancing rising living costs, the immediate disruption has been avoided.

The longer question will be whether the agreement signals a recalibration of graduate labour at Penn or a settlement shaped by the proximity of a strike. The ratification vote will determine whether the tentative framework becomes binding policy.
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