These FAQs are provided because GETUP-UAW has announced that its members voted to authorize a strike. A strike vote does not necessarily mean that a strike will occur. Rather, a strike vote gives the union leaders the authority to call a strike. If a strike is called, bargaining unit members 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 required for bargaining unit members who work during a strike to confirm their eligibility for continued pay. Please note that the work attestation process will not be activated unless there is a strike.
Which graduate and professional students are required to complete the 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 attestation if there is a strike. Membership in the bargaining unit is based on whether a 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.
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 attestation be completed?
In order to be paid at the end of the month, graduate and professional students who are required to complete an 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. Graduate and professional students who are required to timely complete an 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 is the attestation form available?
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 that the attestation form for the month is available. This will generally be around the 15th of the month. 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 attestation window? Can I attest late and 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 attestation, a back payment will be issued. However, your payment for that month will be delayed.
What email address will the notice that the attestation form is ready be sent to?
An email will be sent to the graduate or professional student’s University email address.
Can I access the attestation directly?
The work attestation can be accessed by logging into Workday and searching “My Work Attestations” in the search bar. It can also be accessed directly via this link. It will also appear on the Workday home page in the announcements section.
Will I need to attest each month if the strike continues from one month into the next?
Yes. An attestation will need to 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 the month.
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 an 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, there are two possible ways the University will address this.
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 must be accurate, including prospective ones. 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 continuing 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 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.
Alternatively, the University may require an 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 returned 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 because you did not do so. You should 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. You will not be paid for the period during which you participated in the strike, but you will be paid beginning when you returned 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 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 they will not be paid for that position while they are 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.