(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – The Nittany Lion logo taken before an NCAA college football game between Penn State and Delaware, Sept. 9, 2023, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File)

(Reported by Danielle Smith, Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) After six years of organizing, Penn State University faculty have formed a union to gain a stronger voice and greater influence in university decisions. The Penn State Faculty Alliance reports that about 75-percent of participating faculty voted to join the Service Employees International Union. More than 25-hundred supported the effort and roughly 850 stood opposed. Julio Palma Anda, an associate professor of chemistry, says the move follows years of frustration over limited faculty input on key decisions. He says that without a formal collective bargaining structure, faculty lacked a meaningful voice in decision-making, contributing to inequitable and challenging working conditions that hinder their ability to thrive as educators. The union will represent faculty of all ranks across University Park and Commonwealth campuses. He notes they’re awaiting certification from the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, which they expect the administration to honor. He adds that the union is committed to working constructively with the administration toward a strong first contract.