To date, the PLRB hasn’t determined if an election will be held or if it’s appropriate to have one at all.

“Penn State plans on doubling down on their argument that graduate employees are NOT employees — they plan to challenge the Temple ruling,” CGE Chief Media Officer Kyler Sherman-Wilkins said. “Essentially, they are trying to reverse a well established legal precedent for the sake of taking up time.”

Temple University has had a graduate employee union since 2001 and the graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh are attempting to hold their own vote next semester.

Sherman-Wilkins is also concerned that Penn State attorneys might try to decertify CGE’s union cards. “Penn State’s attorneys are attempting to decertify some of the cards,” Sherman-Wilkins said. “They weren’t able to articulate specifics, and are still conducting research.”

According to Penn State Director of Media Relations Lisa Powers, “PLRB procedures do not allow for ‘decertifying cards.’ Penn State identified a possible disconnect between the cards that were signed by graduate students and the groups listed on the petition, which we are still investigating.”

CGE doesn’t expect the election to occur this fall anymore. “The election date can only be determined after Penn State’s legal challenges make their way through the courts,” Sherman-Wilkins said.