We, the Resident and Graduate Resident Assistants at Penn, recently filed to unionize. As RAs, we are integral to the functioning of campus life and culture but are consistently undervalued and underpaid. We’re organizing for fair compensation, stronger worker protections, and a voice on the job.

Penn is a university that prides itself on civic engagement and creating the leaders of tomorrow, and we are proud to take this step towards workplace democracy. We believe that when we as RAs are supported, so is the entirety of campus life.

Every worker deserves a union, and the National Labor Relations Board explicitly protects the right of university RAs to organize.

We ask supporters to send a letter to Penn leadership calling on Penn not to engage in an anti-union campaign against their students. Instead, Penn should support their workers, and remain neutral throughout our election process.

Together, we look forward to making our workplace, and the broader Penn living and learning experience, better for all.