BARGAINING
UPDATES

September 22, 2026

Key Takeaways

• Discussions about our Job Security proposal package continued.

• We re-proposed Non-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Anti-Bullying with minor changes.

• We are recruiting additional members to serve as Weingarten representatives.

On September 22, 2026, most of the discussion was focused on Job Security. We outlined several "pillars" that are critical for providing our members with a strong and secure future by supporting workplace stability, dignity, and well-being. These pillars include:

1. Reforming provisional periods following a promotion or transfer preventing arbitrary terminations.

2. Limiting involuntary transfers and FTE (% job effort) reductions.

3. Maintaining one-hour lunch breaks for staff who currently have them, with the flexibility to voluntarily take shorter lunch breaks in order to shorten the workday when possible.

4. Requiring fair and reviewable selection criteria to be used when staff are being laid off.

5. Requiring that subcontracting be subject to bargaining when it would result in staff being laid off.

6. Ensuring that qualified staff who are laid off receive preference for being hired into open positions.

Over the past few sessions, we have made some progress toward an agreement on these topics, and we were glad to see that the administration made additional moves toward our positions, especially regarding lunch breaks.  Unfortunately, they are still insisting that staff in a provisional period after a transfer or certain situations of promotion should not require just cause for discipline or discharge. For example, a staff member who has done excellent work for many years and accepts a promotion could be fired for any reason during the provisional period that is currently required upon promotion. To us, this is unacceptable. The standards for discipline or termination for misconduct should be the same regardless of whether you have recently transferred into a new position. If a staff member turns out to be unsuited for the new position, we’re proposing that the administration return them to their previous job, where they excelled, or to a similar open position. We believe this more appropriately addresses the administration’s need to assess performance in a new role while also minimizing potential risk to bargaining unit staff who accept new positions at the university.

Finally, in this session we re-submitted our Non-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Anti-Bullying proposal with minor changes. Our proposed language identifying characteristics upon which discrimination is prohibited is now the SAME as what the faculty union has in their collective bargaining agreement. We believe that staff have the same rights to be free from discrimination as faculty, so we hope that the administration will swiftly agree to this proposal.

If you are looking for a powerful way to get involved in your union, please consider serving as a union representative for individual staff. Weingarten rights allow bargaining unit members to have a union representative be present during meetings in which discipline or performance issues are discussed. Our small team of representatives actively support staff who are facing these situations, as well as for meetings to discuss a layoff or position elimination. It's incredibly important work that makes a meaningful difference for our colleagues. You'll receive training, both from USW staff and from the current team of reps. Since most of the meetings occur during work hours, having a work schedule with some flexibility is helpful, and ideal representatives possess the confidence and willingness to stand up to management! You don't have to work on campus to be an effective rep — many of our reps work remotely, and a majority of the meetings are held on Zoom or Teams. If serving as a representative is something that you are willing and able to do, please email staffunionofpitt@usw.org and let us know that you'd like to receive the training. And if you find yourself in a situation where you need a union rep, you can request one at the same email address.  

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