BARGAINING
UPDATES

May 23, 2025

Key Takeaways

• The administration suddenly withdrew their academic freedom counterproposal and is refusing to bargain with us over it. 

• The administration initiated a discussion about FY26 benefits with us.

• We got a Tentative Agreement on Shared Governance.

• We presented new proposals dealing with Facilities and Support and Provisional Periods.

We met with the administration on 5/22/2025. We had been making good progress in our discussions about Academic Freedom, and thought that we were extremely close to coming to an agreement, so we were shocked and irate that they suddenly withdrew their counterproposal and are now refusing to bargain with us over Academic Freedom at all, stating that it doesn’t apply to staff.  Obviously, we feel that staff should be entitled to full freedom from interference to conduct research in their academic fields and to publish their results, and that staff are entitled to speak and write as private persons without fear of institutional censorship or discipline. It is extremely upsetting that the administration does not agree that staff deserve these freedoms, which are guaranteed in the faculty union contract, and we will keep fighting for them. We are also becoming increasingly irritated that the administration has not responded at all to several proposals that we've given them over the last few months. 

After a long presentation about healthcare benefits and how the costs are determined by the university, the administration told us that they want to have USW-represented staff take the same health plan changes as non-represented staff - including the increased premium and prescription costs and other plan changes. They indicated that if we accept this change, there will be an annual salary increase for represented staff effective July 1. We are awaiting an actual proposal from them that specifies IN WRITING how much the raise would be, and we have requested information related to health insurance plan enrollment so that we can make an informed decision about whether it makes financial sense to accept this arrangement or not. When we receive this information, we will likely solicit your input.

We are happy to tell you that we FINALLY reached a Tentative Agreement on Shared Governance, which protects our ability to engage in vigorous discussions about governance matters with the university administration, and gives the assurance that the administration will follow their legal obligation to bargain with us over the terms and conditions of employment under PERA section 701.

Some of you told us that you don't feel like you've been provided with the tools you need to do your jobs effectively. If successful, our new Facilities and Support proposal will ensure that staff members get the training, equipment, and access to facilities that we need to perform our duties.

Many of you have expressed frustration with several aspects of provisional periods. Our proposal would limit them to only the first six months after the initial date of hire, and would introduce a requirement for supervisors to provide new staff members with a list of job duties and expectations, in writing. After meeting for the midpoint review, staff members would also be given a written summary, and in the event that a staff member's performance is deemed unsatisfactory, they will be given concrete steps to remedy this and how these steps will be measured. Perhaps most importantly, if a provisional employee is going to be terminated for unsatisfactory performance or a lack of work or funding, under the terms of our proposal they would receive notice at least 30 days prior to the termination. 

Our union is stronger with your participation. There are many ways to help out, including outreach, event planning, and social media, so if you want to get more involved, email staffunionofpitt@usw.org today! If you haven't already, sign your union card at this link: https://www3.usw.org/OrgPittStaff/. No dues will be taken until our contract is ratified, but you'll need to be a member to vote on the contract when it's time.

In Solidarity,

Your Pitt Staff Bargaining Committee

Jen Goeckeler-Fried, Chair, Biological Sciences, DSAS
Mark Brown, Secretary
Kearsten Adams, Academic Advising, UPG
Shawn Alfonso Wells, Pitt Global Experiences, UCIS
Lydia Chmill, Disability Resources & Services, OTC
Emily Daller, University Child Development Center, OHR
Jay Hornack, Law 
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, Director, USW