CONTACT: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, jkamm@usw.org
(Pittsburgh) – The United Steelworkers union (USW) today filed unfair labor practice charges with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board in response to the University of Pittsburgh administration’s unlawful conduct in prolonging negotiations with faculty seeking a first contract.
Pitt faculty overwhelmingly voted to unionize in the fall of 2021. Since then, they have faced unreasonable delays in receiving responses to the union’s proposals.
Most egregiously, the administration has failed to provide any response whatsoever to the proposal on research support that the USW supplied more than a year ago. It also took 14 months to respond to the union’s compensation proposal and six months to respond to its proposal on layoff and recall.
“Negotiations can only be effective when both sides participate,” said USW District 10 Director Bernie Hall, who represents USW members across Pennsylvania. “The administration’s relentless silence on some of the most important bargaining topics suggests it has no interest in reaching a contract.”
The charges the USW filed today also address changes to employee benefits, namely giving new members of the bargaining unit fewer health care options and higher out of pocket expenses than existing workers.
“Pitt faculty work hard, both providing high quality instruction for tens of thousands of students and producing world-class research,” said Hall. “It’s long past time for the administration to come to the table ready and willing to negotiate a contract that reflects their contributions to the university’s success rather than wasting resources drawing out this process.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.