PLRB Sets Dates for Penn State Grad Student Union Vote

Dates are officially set for mid-April across the commonwealth for Penn State graduate students on assistantships and traineeships to vote on unionizing.

After tentatively scheduling dates following the decision to allow a union vote, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board announced on Wednesday that graduate students at University Park can vote April 10-13.

The times and locations are:

April 10: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Bennett Pierce Living Center of the Henderson Building
April 11: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Charles W. Mann, Jr. Assembly Room of the Paterno Library
April 12: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Charles W. Mann, Jr. Assembly Room of the Paterno Library
April 13: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Room W202 and W203 of the Millennium Science Complex.

There are also two dates and locations announced for Hershey Medical and Penn State Harrisburg students:

Hershey Medical — April 16: noon to 4 p.m., Room C-1845 of the Biomedical Research Building
Penn State Harrisburg — April 17: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Morrison Gallery of the 101 Penn State Harrisburg Library

Eligible graduate students at Penn State Behrend and Great Valley can vote via mail. Ballots will be mailed April 9 and must be received by the PLRB by April 23.

Parties will be able to designate poll watchers and eligible voters may be asked to show identification, at the discretion of a PLRB agent.

The election order comes after a Penn State graduate assistant, with the assistance of the Fairness Center, challenged the unionization ruling and attempted to halt the election.

‘This election has been almost four years in the making,’ said Mariam Taleb, organizer for the Penn State Coalition of Graduate Employees. ‘We’re excited to have a final order, and very excited that last minute intervention on Penn State’s behalf by Koch-funded special interests couldn’t stop the democratic process. We look forward to winning the vote for ourunion.