These FAQs are provided because GETUP-UAW has announced that its members will strike on February 17, 2026 if the University and the Union have not reached an agreement by that date.
If a strike is called, graduate and professional students who are part of the bargaining unit may choose whether to participate. Those who strike will not be paid, while those who continue to work will continue to be paid.
These FAQs outline the work attestation process that monthly-paid students in the bargaining unit who work during a strike must complete to confirm that they are eligible for continued pay. Please note that the work attestation process will not be activated unless there is a strike.
Hourly-paid graduate and professional students who continue to work during a strike will not complete the work attestation. Rather, hourly-paid students will follow their regular process of submitting timesheets in order to be paid.
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.
The bargaining unit includes graduate and professional students in the following schools/programs who are performing instructional or research services: Annenberg School for Communication, Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Graduate School of Education, Penn Carey Law School, School of Nursing, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Social Policy and Practice, The Wharton School, and Biomedical Graduate Studies (in the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM)). Professional students in Vet, Dental or PSOM are not included unless they are also PhD students who are performing instructional or research services in conjunction with their PhD program. For more information regarding the bargaining unit definition, please refer to the For Graduate Workers website.
Will I be paid if I participate in a strike?
No. If you participate in the strike you will not be paid.
If I continue working during a strike, will I be paid?
Yes. If you continue to work during a strike, you will be paid if you complete the necessary process confirming this. For monthly-paid students, confirmation is provided through the work attestation process, and for hourly-paid students confirmation is provided through submission of timesheets.
If there is a strike, 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 must complete a work attestation in Workday if they continue working. Timely completion of the work attestation will result in the graduate or professional student continuing to be paid.
Graduate and professional students who are paid hourly for performing instructional or research services and who continue to work during the strike should promptly submit timesheets in order to be paid.
Which graduate and professional students are required to complete the work attestation if there is 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 are required to complete the work attestation if there is a strike and they continue to work. Completion of the work attestation is necessary to ensure the monthly-paid graduate or professional student continues to be paid if they are working during a strike.
Whether a graduate or professional student is part of the bargaining unit is based on whether the graduate or professional student meets the bargaining unit definition. If the graduate or professional student meets the definition, they are considered part of the bargaining unit regardless of whether they voted for the union and regardless of whether they voted to authorize a strike. However, all members of the bargaining unit can decide for themselves whether to participate in the strike or continue working.
The bargaining unit includes graduate and professional students in the following schools/programs who are performing instructional or research services: Annenberg School for Communication, Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Graduate School of Education, Penn Carey Law School, School of Nursing, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Social Policy and Practice, The Wharton School, and Biomedical Graduate Studies (in the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM)). Professional students in Vet, Dental or PSOM are not included unless they are also PhD students who are performing instructional or research services in conjunction with their PhD program. For more information regarding the bargaining unit definition, please refer to the For Graduate Workers website.
When must the work attestation be completed?
In order to be paid at the end of the month, graduate and professional students who are monthly-paid and therefore required to complete a work attestation must do so by no later than the date by which that month’s payroll information must be submitted for payment at the end of that month. This date varies by month. Graduate and professional students who must complete a work attestation in order to be paid will be notified of the completion deadline when they are notified by email that the work attestation for that month is available for completion.
Graduate and professional students who are required to timely complete a work attestation but fail to do so will not be paid at the end of the month for the strike period that occurred during that month. (Note: There is a process for completing a late attestation, which will result in late payment. See below for information regarding the process for late attestation.)
When will the work attestation form be available?
If there is a strike, an email will be sent to all graduate and professional students in the bargaining unit who receive a stipend or other monthly payment for performing instructional or research services, announcing when the attestation form for that month will be available. This will generally be around the 15th of the month. If the strike begins on February 17, 2026, then the monthly attestation form for February will be made available on or about February 18, 2026.
What email address will the notice that the work attestation form is ready be sent to?
An email will be sent to the graduate or professional student’s University email address.
When must the work attestation form be completed?
The attestation form must be completed before the date by which that month’s payroll information must be submitted for payment at the end of that month. That date will be included in the email announcing that the attestation form for the month is available. After that date, the attestation form for that month will be locked until payroll has been processed for the month. Afterwards, it will become available again for late attestation submissions.
What if I miss the work attestation window? Can I submit my attestation late and still receive my compensation?
If you worked but missed the deadline for completing the attestation, you should submit a late attestation once the attestation form for the month has been unlocked following payroll processing. Once you complete the late attestation, payment will be issued, but will be made after normal payroll processing.
Can I access the work attestation directly?
Yes. It can be accessed directly via this link, or by logging into Workday and searching “My Work Attestations” in the search bar. It will also appear on the Workday home page in the announcements section.
Are there instructions for completing the work attestation?
In the event of a strike, the Workday@Penn website will publish a tip sheet titled “Self Service: Work Attestation,” providing step-by-step instructions on how monthly-paid graduate or professional students in the bargaining unit must submit their work attestation in Workday.
Will I need to attest each month if the strike continues from one month into the next?
Yes. A work attestation must be completed for each month during which GETUP-UAW is on strike, regardless of whether the strike lasts the entire month or only a part of it.
What happens if I do not attest within the time frame provided?
Graduate and professional students in the bargaining unit who are required to complete a work attestation but do not timely do so will not be paid for the strike period that occurred during that month. In other words, the regular monthly payment the graduate or professional student receives due to their instructional or research services will be adjusted on a pro rata basis so that the graduate or professional student is paid only for that portion of the month during which there was no strike.
What happens if the strike period starts at the end of the month?
If the strike period starts after the date by which monthly payroll information must be submitted, two possible ways the University might handle are outlined below.
If the strike is announced in advance, the University might require a prospective attestation. In other words, the University may require that graduate and professional students in the bargaining unit who receive a stipend or other monthly payment for performing instructional or research services attest in advance to their intent to work during the strike, provided it occurs as announced. All attestations, including prospective ones, must be accurate. A graduate or professional student who makes misrepresentations in an attestation will be referred to the Center for Community Standards and Accountability (CSA) or the appropriate school disciplinary process. In the event a graduate or professional student submits an attestation that is accurate at the time it is submitted but later becomes inaccurate (e.g., the graduate or professional student indicated their prospective intent to continue working during a strike but they do not do so), the graduate or professional student must immediately send an email to solutioncenter@upenn.edu to advise of this change. If this notification comes after it is too late for the University to impact the payment for the month, then the graduate or professional student is expected to cooperate with the University’s process for repayment of the monies the graduate or professional student should not have received because they failed to work during the strike.
Another alternative to handling might include the University requiring a work attestation be submitted after the month’s end for the prior month. For those graduate or professional students who are required to retroactively attest but fail to do so, the University may treat a pro rata portion of the prior month’s payment based on the duration of the strike period as a loan which must be repaid, and the University may then take steps to initiate that repayment process.
What if I participate in the strike for the first part of the strike period but then return to work? How do I get paid for that part of the strike period that I worked?
If you did not work for the entire strike period, then you cannot complete the monthly attestation indicating that you worked for the entire strike period. Rather, you must contact the Solution Center at solutioncenter@upenn.edu and share the information regarding the date you started your participation in the strike and the date you returned to work. The Solution Center may require that you do this by completing a specific form. You will not be paid for the period during which you participated in the strike, but you will be paid beginning when you return to work.
What if a member of the bargaining unit who receives a monthly stipend for performing instructional or research services has a second job that does not involve instructional or research services for which that person completes weekly timesheets? Will that person be paid for the second job if they keep working in that job while striking from their instructional or research services role?
The work attestation process is required only for bargaining unit positions that are monthly paid. If a graduate or professional student in the bargaining unit strikes from their monthly-paid instructional or research services position, they should not complete an attestation and will not be paid for that position while on strike. If the graduate or professional student has a second job for which they complete weekly timesheets, and they continue to perform that role and timely submit timesheets during a strike, then they will continue to be paid for that second job.
If I have questions about the attestation process, who should I contact?
Questions regarding the attestation process should be directed to the Solution Center at solutioncenter@upenn.edu.