ABOUT US

Inception

In 2014, many graduate employees were shocked to see that the cost of their health insurance premiums were suddenly increased without any notification from the University administration. In response, these graduate employees formed together into CGE. After forming and having many conversations with fellow graduate workers about their concerns, CGE’s demands revolved around a plethora of issues including poor working conditions, low graduate stipends, and discrimination.

First Filing with the PLRB

CGE ran a card drive campaign, asking graduate employees if they wanted to hold a union election. In February 2017, CGE reached the required threshold and filed with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) while the University administration opposed and challenged the move.

Second Healthcare Incident

Even after the previous healthcare fiasco, in August 2017, University administrators administrators transitioned into a new health care system — once again not consulting those that fell under the plan.

PLRB Hearing

The University administration and CGE attended a hearing before the PLRB. During the hearing, CGE and Penn State administrators presented their arguments concerning graduate employee unionization with CGE claiming that graduate students are employees while administrators claimed that they are not employees. Ultimately, a ruling would not be issued until early 2018.

Storming the Administration Hub at Old Main

On December 6, 2017, CGE successfully delivered a letter about their views on graduate unionization to Barron in-person, after the coalition stormed Penn State's administrative hub.

PLRB Ruling and Responses

One year after CGE filed for a union election, on February 9, 2018, the PLRB ruled that the union election can be held, arguing that graduate employees are public employees. University administration declared looking at all the possible options in response to the ruling. The Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA), which is the graduate student government at Penn State, gave a mixed response with some members of the Executive Board supporting unionization and others opposing it. To convey neutrality, they issued the following statement: “It is now every graduate assistant’s responsibility to do their own research about the unionization process and the potential benefits and drawbacks of graduate assistant unionization. Every eligible graduate assistant should vote, but more importantly, every eligible graduate assistant should make a well-informed decision.”

CGE Workers' Rally

CGE held a workers’ rally on February 14, 2018, in the aftermath of the ruling. Graduate employees rallied and gave speeches in support of unionization, alongside professors, undergraduate students, community members and local politicians including Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins and State Representative Scott Conklin. 

CGE Union versus Penn State's Anti-Union Propaganda

Despite CGE's best efforts during the union campaign, the University administration spent millions of dollars spreading lies and disinformation in order to fearmonger to graduate employees into compliance. Specifically, they claimed on their Grad Facts “disinformation” page that STEM stipends would be cut to fund non-STEM stipends, a third-party would harm graduate employees’ relationship with their advisor, visas for international students would be jeopardized, and it is impossible to represent all graduate employees from many diverse departments and backgrounds. Every claim they made was a bold-faced lie. Period.

First Union Election (Failed)

The union campaign came to a head in April 2018 with the union vote. Ultimately, the union vote failed. Out of the 3,800 eligible graduate employees, 2,388 votes were cast with only 950 graduate employees voting in support of unionization and 1,438 graduate employees voting against unionization. After the vote, CGE continued to organize around key workplace issues for graduate employees in the years afterward.

COVID-19 Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in March 2020, University administration proposed a lackluster approach to tackling the virus. CGE organized its members into a series of demonstrations including a die-in in the Summer of 2020 and a vaccine mandate rally at the start of the Fall 2021 semester with other pro-worker organizations.

Re-Vamping CGE

 Three years after the first union election and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 demonstrations, former members of CGE revitalized the group as part of a serious effort to kickstart labor organizing among graduate employees.