Penn State graduate students hold rally to support union efforts

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) – Penn State graduate students are looking to try and unionize, and while past attempts have not been successful, they say they're going to continue to fight for what they believe is right.

Kicking off at noon at Old Main, the rally drew a crowd of union supporters. They say they want better pay among other benefits because State College is becoming increasingly more difficult to live in.

"There's a lot of us here and it's about time that, you know, State College became a lot more livable for a lot of the people without whom the school could not function," Owen Harrington, a fifth-year graduate student, said.

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The rally hosted several speakers including student testimonies, a representative from the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, and Rep. Paul Takac (D-82). Politics entered the talks, with UAW's Daniel Vicente saying that the Democratic Party "no longer represents working-class people in this country."

Takac pushed back on this claim, saying that "Democrats in Harrisburg" are the only reason that the students had the right to hold a rally. After the event finished, Takac said he wanted to focus on the positive message being spread by the graduate students, and that he will always fight for unions.

"For decades, working people in unions have been under attack with right-to-work legislation, so-called, and other things that have undermined their ability to come together and get fair wages, good benefits and safety protections that they need," Takac said.

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When asked for comment on the rally, Penn State sent WTAJ the following statement: "We are aware and as a public research university, Penn State is committed to the successful intellectual and professional development of its graduate students."