Penn State faculty alliance reports win in vote to unionize more than 5,000 instructors

Penn State faculty organizers said Thursday that they won a union election covering more than 5,000 faculty members across the university, a major labor development at one of the nation’s largest public research universities. The Penn State Faculty Alliance announced that faculty voted to unionize in a mail-ballot election run by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, with organizers reporting 2,510 “yes” votes.

If the result is certified, SEIU Local 668 would become the exclusive bargaining representative for the unit. The Penn State Faculty Alliance is affiliated with that union. The proposed bargaining unit covers about 5,351 eligible faculty members, according to local reporting and state election materials, spanning University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses across ranks and departments, including tenured and contingent faculty as well as full-time and part-time instructors. Reporting on the election said some categories were excluded, including the College of Medicine and the Applied Research Laboratory.

The election unfolded over several weeks. Ballots were mailed April 1, had to be received by May 6, and counting began May 13 under the supervision of the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, the state agency that administers public-sector union representation elections.

As of Thursday, however, the full official tally and certification were not yet publicly posted on state sites reviewed as part of the reporting. Organizers had not immediately released the no-vote total in their early public statements, so the margin and turnout percentage were not publicly clear. In announcing the result, the alliance said: “More than Five Thousand Faculty at Penn State Win A Union With SEIU Local 668 … with 2,510 faculty members voting Union Yes!”

The campaign reflects broader labor organizing at Penn State, where graduate students also voted to unionize in fall 2025. Faculty organizers have said their effort was driven by concerns over pay, workload, job security for contingent faculty, shared governance and university decisions affecting Commonwealth campuses. Because the unit stretches across Penn State’s main campus and its statewide campus system, a certified union would have a potentially broad role in negotiating working conditions and compensation for a large, multi-campus faculty workforce.

Under Pennsylvania public-sector labor law, the labor board certifies a union if a majority of ballots cast support representation. After certification, the union and university are expected to begin bargaining over a first contract.

“I am very excited about the results of the election,” Marissa Baez, an adjunct lecturer, said in the alliance’s May 14 news release. “As faculty, we all came together to achieve a collective voice in Penn State’s decision‑making. Now, we can move forward as educators to create a better work environment for all faculty and support the best learning environment for our students.”