Key Takeaways

• We have Tentative Agreements (TAs) on establishing a Labor-Management Committee to resolve problems with the application, administration, or interpretation of our contract, after it is ratified, and on a No-Strike/No-Lockout proposal brought by the Administration.

• The Administration agreed to form a joint committee to review positions for inclusion in the bargaining unit(s). 

In our bargaining session on Feb 6, 2025, the Administration tentatively agreed to our Labor-Management Committee proposal. This will not take effect until after the contract is ratified, but will be an important tool for dealing with potential issues in a timely manner. A small committee of representatives from the Union and the Administration will meet regularly to appraise and (attempt to) resolve any problems of concern to either party which arise in the application, administration, or interpretation of this Agreement.     

Under the Public Employe Relations Act (PERA, Section 1002), strikes and lockouts during the term of our contract are illegal. It was not a surprise that the Administration presented a proposal for us to review on this topic, and we tentatively agreed to it. This does not limit our ability to strike after our contract has expired, if necessary. 

We know that many of you have been asking about how to know for sure if you are included in the bargaining unit(s). While this is fundamentally determined by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, we have asked the Administration to work with us, and they have agreed to forming a committee of representatives from both sides for the purpose of reviewing positions for unit inclusion in a collaborative way. For many staff members, this decision will be complicated, so we ask for your patience during this process. If you are unsure of your inclusion status, please fill out this form so we can look into your case.

The administration also informed us of their intent to send out yet another workplace satisfaction survey to all staff. By forming a union, we have chosen to address job satisfaction through the process of collective bargaining. We recently solicited similar information in the bargaining survey, but if you didn't have a chance to fill that out and have an issue that you want to bring to our attention, please reach out to a CAT member in your area or email staffunionofpitt@usw.org.  

In solidarity,

USW Pitt Staff Bargaining Committee

Bernie Hall, Director, USW District 10
Kearsten Adams, Academic Advising, UPG
Shawn Alfonso Wells, Pitt Global Experiences, UCIS
Mark Brown, Secretary, Cell Biology, SOM
Lydia Chmill, Disability Resources & Services, OTC
Emily Daller, University Child Development Center, OHR
Kelly Gilliam, Philanthropic & Alumni Engagement
Jen Goeckeler-Fried, Chair, Biological Sciences, DSAS
Jay Hornack, Law 
Adriana Maguiña-Ugarte, Anthropology, DSAS
Dawn Miller, Academic Affairs, UPJ 
Michelle Utz-Kiley, Epidemiology, SPH
Matt Nader, USW District 10
Robin Sowards, USW District 10