Penn Graduate Student Union Reaches Tentative Contract Agreement, Averts Strike

The new contract includes a 22% increase in minimum annual stipend and improved benefits for over 3,500 workers.

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The graduate student union at the University of Pennsylvania reached a tentative contract agreement with the university late Monday night, narrowly averting a strike after more than a year of negotiations. The new contract includes a 22% increase in the minimum annual stipend to $49,000, as well as protections against discrimination and harassment, better vision and dental coverage, and funds to support international graduate students.

Why it matters

The tentative agreement is seen as a major victory for the union, which represents over 3,500 graduate student workers on campus. The contract not only benefits current and future graduate student workers, but also sets a precedent for future negotiations with other groups like postdoctoral researchers who recently voted to unionize.

The details

Graduate Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania and Penn administrators reached the agreement hours before the union's Feb. 17 strike deadline. Had the union called the strike, its members would have indefinitely ceased their duties as teaching and research assistants. The new contract also includes funds to support international graduate students who need to travel to renew their visas.

  • The tentative contract agreement was reached late Monday night, just hours before the union's Feb. 17 strike deadline.
  • Efforts to unionize graduate students at Penn started more than 20 years ago.

The players

Graduate Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania

The graduate student union at the University of Pennsylvania that represents over 3,500 workers on campus.

University of Pennsylvania

The university that reached the tentative contract agreement with the graduate student union.

Guru Shabadi

A second-year graduate student in the computer and information science department who helped bargain for the new contract over the past seven months.

Violet Ullman

A fourth-year bioengineering graduate student who said she and many others burst into tears when the union and Penn reached the agreement.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We love our jobs and we're glad to have won this fair contract, which I think will transform a lot of our lives for the better.”

— Guru Shabadi, Graduate Student

“Myself and many others burst into tears, knowing how much work and effort has been put into this over the past three to five years.”

— Violet Ullman, Graduate Student

What’s next

The tentative contract agreement still needs to be ratified by the union's membership before it can be finalized.

The takeaway

This contract victory for the Penn graduate student union not only improves the lives of current and future workers, but also sets an important precedent for other groups like postdoctoral researchers who are seeking to unionize and negotiate better terms with the university.