Penn State faculty to vote on unionizing across all Pennsylvania campuses

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December 12th, 2025 | By Ryan Genova

Pennsylvania State University faculty will vote on unionizing in 2026 after filing a petition for an election with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board on Tuesday.

According to StateCollege.com, the group of university teachers and researchers leading the organizing effort is known as the Penn State Faculty Alliance.

From their website:

We believe in a just, effectively run university that respects and values all faculty. This is achieved through a strong, democratic, member-led union that gives Penn State faculty members at every campus a much-needed voice and an active role in decision-making.

We are unionizing to ensure investment in education and educators. A union lets all faculty members bring the best they have to offer to our students and university community.

Organizers said that they surpassed the necessary 30% authorization cards from faculty at state campuses (including Abington) to file for the election. The announcement comes about a month after graduate student workers at Penn State voted to unionize, with 90% in favor.

The filing also comes after Penn State trustees earlier this year decided to close seven commonwealth campuses (Fayette, New Kensington, Shenango, Mont Alto, DuBois, Wilkes-Barre and York) at the end of the Spring 2027 semester due to declining enrollment and finances.

Penn State is the only state-related university of the four in the Commonwealth without a faculty union.

Steve Catanese, president of SEIU Local 668, said the vote may be “the largest single union election in the public sector in the history of the Commonwealth.”

“Penn State deeply values the teaching, research, and service of our faculty, who play a critical role in fueling the success of our students and advancing our mission. We will review the petition when we receive it from the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board,” university administration said in a statement.

Penn State officials published an FAQ page about the election here.

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