BARGAINING
UPDATES

August 19, 2026

Key Takeaways

• We received a disappointing response to our interim raise proposal.

• We received counterproposals on Hours of Work and UCDC.

• We presented a new proposal on Teaching.

After a long wait, in our bargaining session on August 19, 2026, we received a disappointing response to our request for annual salary increases that would take effect while the larger contract negotiations are ongoing. The administration's team gave a long speech about how the university is committed to competitive salary models, BUT due to reductions in federal funding for research, increased costs for healthcare, lower net tuition revenue, and increased facility costs, they proposed NO wage increases for FY27 for represented staff, and instead want to give us a one-time, taxable $2000 lump sum payment for full-time staff, prorated for part-time staff based on percentage of effort. The lump sum payment would NOT be added to our base salaries, and when we asked for clarification, they confirmed that their proposal is that no bargaining unit employee would receive a wage increase. Needless to say, we STRONGLY disagree that the university's financial situation is as dire as they claim, particularly in light of Chancellor Gabel's letter from August 18 touting a 25% increase in School of Medicine funding, but we are reviewing the proposal and will respond soon.

The administration also presented counterproposals on Hours of Work and UCDC. In Hours of Work, the administration has repeatedly proposed to let department leadership determine whether your break is an hour long or shorter than that. We believe that employees should continue to have the ability to take a full hour-long break if they want.

We presented a new Teaching proposal that aims to provide the same protections and compensation for staff who teach that are afforded to Pitt’s part-time, appointment-stream faculty. This proposal was developed with the support of the faculty bargaining committee, and we look forward to receiving a response from the administration.

In other news, we’re glad to say that after a 6-month gap, the university has FINALLY agreed to resume meetings of the Inclusion/Exclusion committee.  Carefully considering who should and should not be eligible to be part of the bargaining unit is important to us, and we know that many of you have been waiting for clarification for quite some time. If you think that you have been misclassified and haven’t already done so, you can FILL OUT THIS FORM and a member of the committee will reach out to you to discuss your situation.

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