Dear Graduate Student:

The Regional office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has set the election for Penn graduate students to determine whether or not they want a union representing them.

The election will be held on Wednesday, February 26 and Thursday, February 27, 2003 in the Benjamin Franklin Room at Houston Hall. The polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days.

The only students who may vote are those who are potential members of the bargaining unit as determined by the regional director of the NLRB in her November 21 decision involving Penn and GET-UP. (See decision text on-line at: http://www.upenn.edu/grad/unionization/NLRB_decisiontext.html) In January, we will be able to determine just who that is and inform you and your fellow graduate students who will be eligible to vote under the NLRB ruling. In the meantime, if you have any questions concerning the election you may call the regional office of the NLRB at 215-597-7601.

It is important to note that the election will be determined by a simple majority of those who vote but the results will bind everyone who is eligible to vote, so every vote matters.

If you have additional questions on this important issue, we encourage you to visit our revised website on unionization, which can be found at: http://www.upenn.edu/grad/unionization/ We also urge you to let your voice be heard once we return for the spring semester, regardless of your position on unionization. The University community benefits from a free and open debate on this issue.

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

Peter Conn
Deputy Provost