Staff Union of Pitt Election FAQs
Q: When is the vote taking place?
A: The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) has released the Direction of Election. Ballots will be mailed out from Harrisburg on August 15; they need to be back in Harrisburg by September 19. Don’t wait until the last minute to mail in your yes vote! Please send in your ballot as soon as you receive it. See the official PLRB notice below:
A: The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) has released the Direction of Election. Ballots will be mailed out from Harrisburg on August 15; they need to be back in Harrisburg by September 19. Don’t wait until the last minute to mail in your yes vote! Please send in your ballot as soon as you receive it. See the official PLRB notice below:
Q: How do I know if I am an eligible voter?
A: This election is for all staff at Pitt. However, there are certain classes of supervisors who are excluded, and there are some staff who Pitt did not include on the voter list. These exclusions are inconsistent so it is VERY important that you double check if you are on the list. Please email [email protected] to verify your eligibility.
Q: How do I vote in the upcoming union election?
A: We are having a mail-in ballot election. You will receive one of two ballots: a professional ballot or a non-professional ballot, The ballot will be mailed to the address Pitt has on file for you, with instructions on how to fill it out and send it back. There will not be an option to vote in person.
Q: Why will some staff get a different ballot than other staff?
A: The PLRB has directed there will be two voter groups, professional and non-professional, even though the USW and Pitt both agreed that all Pitt staff are professional workers and should be voting in one group. 5,030 professional-designated voters will get a multi-question ballot, and 1,328 non-professional designated voters will get a two-question ballot. We will update this page with the exact sample ballots when they are released by the PLRB.
Q: Who made the distinction between professional and non-professional staff?
A: Pennsylvania labor law defines the distinction between professional and non-professional employees. Generally, a professional employee has a four-year degree and uses that degree regularly in their job. Pitt alone determined who was designated as professional and non-professional on the voter list.
Q: When should I vote?
A: You should vote as soon as your ballot arrives! Ballots must be received in Harrisburg by September 19.
Q: What if I don’t receive a ballot in the mail?
A: If you don’t receive your ballot by August 22, you’ll need to send an email to the PLRB. The email should be sent to [email protected] and include your full name, correct mailing address, job title, reason for the request (did not receive a ballot), type of ballot requested (professional or non-professional), and the name of your employer (University of Pittsburgh). The PLRB will send you a new ballot, but you’ll have a shorter window to send it back to make sure your vote gets counted. If you have questions about how to request a new ballot, please contact us by emailing [email protected]
Q: How many yes votes do we need to win?
A: In order to win this election and achieve union certification status, a simple majority of voters must vote YES.
Q: When will we know the results of the election?
A: The PLRB will count the ballots starting on September 25 in Harrisburg. This is a big unit, so the vote count may take more than one day. We will have representatives watching the count, but let us know if you’d like to join!
We will post the results as soon as we have them.
Q: How do I get involved to help with the election?
A: The most important question of all! We have a ton of supporters to mobilize to vote and worker-to-worker communication is the most effective method. Click here to become a member of our Communication and Action Team (CAT), a group of union supportive Pitt staff who will spread the word to our colleagues about casting a UNION YES vote on their ballots.
A: This election is for all staff at Pitt. However, there are certain classes of supervisors who are excluded, and there are some staff who Pitt did not include on the voter list. These exclusions are inconsistent so it is VERY important that you double check if you are on the list. Please email [email protected] to verify your eligibility.
Q: How do I vote in the upcoming union election?
A: We are having a mail-in ballot election. You will receive one of two ballots: a professional ballot or a non-professional ballot, The ballot will be mailed to the address Pitt has on file for you, with instructions on how to fill it out and send it back. There will not be an option to vote in person.
Q: Why will some staff get a different ballot than other staff?
A: The PLRB has directed there will be two voter groups, professional and non-professional, even though the USW and Pitt both agreed that all Pitt staff are professional workers and should be voting in one group. 5,030 professional-designated voters will get a multi-question ballot, and 1,328 non-professional designated voters will get a two-question ballot. We will update this page with the exact sample ballots when they are released by the PLRB.
Q: Who made the distinction between professional and non-professional staff?
A: Pennsylvania labor law defines the distinction between professional and non-professional employees. Generally, a professional employee has a four-year degree and uses that degree regularly in their job. Pitt alone determined who was designated as professional and non-professional on the voter list.
Q: When should I vote?
A: You should vote as soon as your ballot arrives! Ballots must be received in Harrisburg by September 19.
Q: What if I don’t receive a ballot in the mail?
A: If you don’t receive your ballot by August 22, you’ll need to send an email to the PLRB. The email should be sent to [email protected] and include your full name, correct mailing address, job title, reason for the request (did not receive a ballot), type of ballot requested (professional or non-professional), and the name of your employer (University of Pittsburgh). The PLRB will send you a new ballot, but you’ll have a shorter window to send it back to make sure your vote gets counted. If you have questions about how to request a new ballot, please contact us by emailing [email protected]
Q: How many yes votes do we need to win?
A: In order to win this election and achieve union certification status, a simple majority of voters must vote YES.
Q: When will we know the results of the election?
A: The PLRB will count the ballots starting on September 25 in Harrisburg. This is a big unit, so the vote count may take more than one day. We will have representatives watching the count, but let us know if you’d like to join!
We will post the results as soon as we have them.
Q: How do I get involved to help with the election?
A: The most important question of all! We have a ton of supporters to mobilize to vote and worker-to-worker communication is the most effective method. Click here to become a member of our Communication and Action Team (CAT), a group of union supportive Pitt staff who will spread the word to our colleagues about casting a UNION YES vote on their ballots.
