Residence hall advisors at the University of Pennsylvania will have the opportunity to vote on union organizing efforts in the coming months. If the vote is successful, University of Pennsylvania RAs will be represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union. University of Pennsylvania administration claimed that residence hall advisors are not considered employees and therefore they do not have the right to form a union, but the recent ruling from the National Labor Relations Board granted RAs the right to organize. The National Labor Relations Board stated that residential advisors are considered permanent workers and are available to collectively bargain. Current undergraduate and graduate residence hall advisors are compensated with free housing and meal plans, but RAs are seeking monetary pay as well as greater respect from university administration.
See "National Labor Relations Board ruling grants University of Pennsylvania residence hall advisors the right to organize and form a union", Abraham Gutman, The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 28, 2023