BARGAINING
UPDATES

April 2, 2026

Key Takeaways

• We reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) on Flexible Work Arrangements!

• Discussions continued about Career Advancement, Layoffs, Provisional Periods and Seniority.

• An official announcement regarding the flexibility to work remotely during the NFL draft will be coming soon.

We met with the administration on April 2, 2026, and we are excited to report that we have reached a TA on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs)! The administration finally agreed to our one remaining demand: that decisions regarding the suitability of a position for FWAs will be made in good faith, based on the operational and service delivery needs of the department. The TA also includes a commitment to reasonable timelines for responding to requests for FWAs, and for providing notice if the administration intends to make changes to or terminate an FWA.

We presented counterproposals on Career Advancement, Layoffs, and Provisional Periods. The administration gave us a counterproposal on Seniority that included some progress, but a few key issues still need to be decided.  For example, we think that if a staff member is laid off, then re-hired within 2 years, their years of service should be calculated from the original date of hire. Union contracts that cover other groups of Pitt workers include this provision, yet the administration wants to terminate our seniority after only one year.

We raised concerns about the impact that the NFL draft will have on traffic and public transportation for the Pittsburgh campus, and we were told that an official announcement will be coming soon. Department and division heads will be instructed to encourage staff to work remotely if it’s feasible given their duties. This was welcome news that will help to ease the commute for staff whose work must be done on campus.

Finally, Solidarity Week is coming soon! From April 13-17, let's show Pitt that we support our union! We're in this fight for a fair contract together, and we're making real progress toward achieving it. There are many ways for you to get involved - find out more and sign up to participate HERE.

In solidarity,

Your bargaining committee
Jen Goeckeler-Fried, Chair, Biological Sciences, DSAS
Kearsten Adams, Recording Secretary, Academic Advising, UPG
Shawn Alfonso Wells, Pitt Global Experiences, UCIS
Mark Brown, DLAR
Lydia Chmill, Disability Resources & Services, OTC
Emily Daller, University Child Development Center, OHR
Jay Hornack, Law
Adriana Maguiña-Ugarte, Anthropology
Todd Shaffer, Office of Student Life, UPJ
Michelle Utz-Kiley, Epidemiology, SPH
Dan Wyszomierski, UPCI/NSABP
Matt Nader, USW
Nate Kilbert, USW
Don Shaffer, USW
Bernie Hall, District 10 Director, USW