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Home For Students For Graduate Workers Strike/Work Stoppage FAQs

Strike/Work Stoppage FAQs

Strike/Work Stoppage FAQs for Graduate and Professional Students Performing Instructional or Research Services

If GETUP-UAW strikes, am I required to participate?

No, graduate and professional students in the bargaining unit who are performing instructional or research services are not required to participate in a strike. Even if you voted to strike, you can choose to continue working. Graduate and professional students who continue to perform instructional or research services during a strike will be paid.

Will I be paid if I participate in a strike?

No. Graduate and professional students who are performing instructional or research services will not be paid if they participate in a strike. 

As a stipended PhD student, I understand that if I strike I will not be paid my stipend during the strike, but will I receive the stipend payments I missed after I return to work?

No. If you strike and do not perform instructional or research services, then you will not be paid your stipend for the period you are on strike. Once you return to work, your stipend payments will resume. However, the payments you missed because you were on strike will not be paid to you at a later date.

How will the University know if I am working or if I am on strike?

During a strike, all graduate and professional students in the bargaining unit who receive a stipend or other monthly payment for performing instructional or research services will be required to complete an attestation if they are continuing to work. Timely completion of the attestation will result in the graduate or professional student continuing to be paid. Specific information about the attestation process will be provided to graduate and professional students in the bargaining unit in the event of a strike.   Graduate and professional students who are paid hourly for performing instructional or research services and who continue to work during the strike should timely submit timesheets in order to be paid. 

I am an international student, what are the implications for my visa status if I go on strike?

Participation in a lawful strike, by itself, does not jeopardize F-1 or J-1 status. A student’s visa status hinges on full-time enrollment and making normal academic progress. If strike-related activities impact either of those, then visa status could be affected.  International graduate and professional students should consult with their advisor in International Student & Scholar Services. 

 What happens to my federal financial aid if I go on strike?

Graduate and professional students receiving federal financial aid are required to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. If a graduate or professional student fails to meet SAP requirements due to strike-related activities, then federal financial aid eligibility could be at risk. Also, if strike-related activities cause a graduate or professional student to drop below half-time enrollment for six months or more, then federal student loans could enter repayment. Graduate and professional students receiving federal financial aid may wish to discuss their specific situation with the advisors in Student Financial Services.

I am a PhD student and receive a stipend. I also perform instructional or research services for additional compensation.  Will I be paid for these additional instructional or research services if I do not perform these additional instructional or research services?

No. Graduate students who receive additional compensation for performing instructional or research services outside of any academic requirements will not receive that additional compensation if they do not carry out the additional instructional or research services. 

What if I’m being paid from my faculty member’s grant?

The source of your funding does not matter. If a graduate student does not perform their instructional or research service responsibilities, they will not be paid.

Will I still get paid if I have my own grant funding?

The source of funding does not matter. If a graduate student does not perform their responsibilities related to research or instruction, they will not be paid.  Additionally, if a graduate student is the principal investigator on a fellowship grant (e.g. an “F” award or NSF GFRP), the University is obligated to report the absence of the PI from the project if the absence is going to exceed 90 days.

If I do not receive my stipend during a strike, will my guaranteed funding be deferred to later?

If you are a PhD student who participates in the strike and does not work for a period of time during your guaranteed funding period, your stipend will be reinstated after you return to work. However, if you do not work during a strike, you will have forfeited your funding for the period you are not working; it is not deferred. For example, if you are guaranteed five years of funding and there is 1 month during which you do not work and are not paid your stipend because of a strike, you will only receive four years and 11 months of funding. 

Will I continue to receive insurance coverage and tuition remission if I participate in a strike?

The University currently intends for students who receive health insurance coverage and/or tuition and fee remission to continue to receive these benefits if they strike. However, the University may revisit this decision.

Will I be paid if I choose to work during a strike?

Yes, graduate and professional students who continue performing instructional or research services during a strike will be paid as usual. Graduate and professional students who receive a stipend or other monthly payment for performing instructional or research services must complete an attestation in a timely manner confirming that they are continuing to work, and completion of the attestation will result in the graduate or professional student continuing to be paid. Graduate or professional students who are paid hourly for performing instructional or research services must continue to timely submit timesheets in order to be paid.

What will happen to my research if I participate in a strike?

Faculty will strive to continue the research enterprise. They may hire temporary help to keep a lab running or to assist with a research project. Once a strike ends, faculty will make every endeavor to return PhD students to the project in a way that allows them to continue their academic progress with minimal disruption. However, depending on the length of a strike, this is not guaranteed. Graduate and professional students are reminded to follow guidelines of responsible conduct of research and to ensure they do not jeopardize experiments intentionally or waste resources. More information can be found on the website of the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.

I am not in the bargaining unit, but at the University. Can I strike in solidarity?

Any student, post-doctoral fellow, or staff (including temporary workers) working in a job not covered by the GETUP-UAW bargaining unit is expected to continue to work in that job. Voluntarily refusing to work will result in not getting paid and may also result in other consequences, up to and including separation from that position, depending on the circumstances of the refusal to work.

I am in the bargaining unit and in addition to my instructional or research job, I have another job (not instructional service or research service) at the University. Can I strike from that position as well?

Any student working in a job not covered by the GETUP-UAW bargaining unit should continue to work in that job. Voluntarily refusing to work will result in not getting paid and may also result in other consequences, up to and including separation from that position, depending on the circumstances of the refusal to work.

Will I continue to make academic progress if I go on strike?

A strike could impede your academic progress if the instructional or research services you are not performing are an academic requirement for your degree and your participation in the strike results in your failure to meet this academic requirement.  If that is the case, then the instructional or research services will need to be completed in a future semester to satisfy your academic requirements.  Your program will determine if you have completed sufficient instructional or research services, as applicable, to meet your academic requirements. Please note: It is possible that a graduate student who goes on strike and does not work for a period of time during their guaranteed funding period could need to make up instructional or research service degree requirements after their guaranteed funding period is over. 

If you are taking a course that requires service – for example a pedagogy course taken for credit toward the degree that requires instructional service – that course will need to be repeated fully or in part during a future semester if the instructional service requirement is not sufficiently completed. Likewise, research courses taken for credit toward the degree that require lab research as part of the course requirements will need to be repeated fully or in part during a future semester if the research requirement is not sufficiently completed. The faculty member responsible for the course will determine if the service requirement has been sufficiently completed.

Regular attendance policies in all courses will be enforced. Final grades will reflect the level of progress made. An incomplete grade may be given for partial academic work that is expected to be completed in the future. A failing grade may be given for curtailed participation or no participation. Students may choose to withdraw from such classes before the academic calendar’s last day to withdraw. Please note: Graduate Students who go on strike and do not work for a period of time during their guaranteed funding period may need to make up course requirements after their guaranteed funding period is over. 

Graduate students who participate in the strike are expected to continue their academic progress in other areas. They should attend classes, conduct independent research and writing in support of their dissertations, participate in required fieldwork, etc.

I don’t want to cross a picket line. Can I skip going to class?

All students are expected to attend classes even if it requires crossing picket lines. Students who choose not to cross picket lines should discuss the implications of this decision in advance with individual faculty.  

[1] These FAQs are intended to address a work stoppage also known as a strike by graduate and professional students who are part of the GETUP-UAW bargaining unit, which includes:

All graduate and professional students who provide research or instructional services for the University, including those who serve as Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows, Research Assistants, Research Fellows, Pre-Doctoral Trainees, and Student Workers. This includes Educational Fellowship Recipients if they provide teaching or research services for the University, including those who serve as Teaching Assistants, Teaching Fellows, Research Assistants, Research Fellows, Pre-Doctoral Trainees, and Student Workers employed at Penn at its Philadelphia campus.

Excluded from the bargaining unit are students pursuing professional degrees in the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, and the School of Veterinary Medicine, with the exception of professional students in those programs who are pursuing a joint degree and who qualify for inclusion by virtue of their research or instructional service for the University in conjunction with their other graduate or professional program.