BARGAINING UPDATE
April 1, 2024
Retroactive raises; packed room for bargaining on Friday
Takeaways:
Dear colleagues,
On March 29th we bargained with the administration and packed the room with faculty union members. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend. It was exciting and powerful to see faculty from across Pitt’s schools and campuses attend the session in support of their bargaining team and for a fair contract. We will continue to fight together to reach agreement on a contract we all deserve!
We continued to make progress on key remaining issues as we work toward an agreement. In addition to the many important tentative agreements we have already reached, we made progress on ensuring that this year’s raises are retroactive to last July. This means that once we reach agreement on and ratify the full contract, bargaining unit members will receive their full raise for this year as a lump sum.
Despite progress on key issues, we remain disappointed in the administration’s proposed cost of living increases. While we have made significant progress on minimum salaries for part-time and full-time faculty, the cost-of-living raises Gabel’s bargaining team are proposing are too small and insufficient to account for the fact that our salaries have not kept up with inflation and the purchasing power we’ve lost in recent years. They are also inconsistent with Pitt policy and the statements of Chancellor Gabel and the Board of Trustees. We are committed to fighting for real raises that begin to restore our purchasing power.
As we work to finalize a strong contract, we are so thankful for all the amazing faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. So many of you have given your time, signed union membership cards, and contributed in numerous ways. If you have not yet signed a membership card, now is the time to join our union! Together, we will quickly get our contract and continue to work to make Pitt a better place.
In solidarity,
Your bargaining committee
Tyler Bickford (chair), Professor, English, Oakland
Pete Bell, Teaching Assistant Professor, Chemistry, Oakland
Nicholas Bircher, Part-time Professor, Nurse Anesthesia, Oakland
Chloe Dufour, Faculty Librarian, ULS, Oakland
Anthony Fabio, Associate Professor, Epidemiology (Public Health), Oakland
Lech Harris (secretary), Part-time Instructor, English, Oakland
James Hill (archivist), Visiting Assistant Professor, History, Oakland
Megan O’Brien, Master Teacher, Falk Laboratory School, Oakland
Sabrina Robinson, Part-time Instructor, Slavic, Oakland
Evan Schneider, Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy, Oakland
Paul Scott, Assistant Professor, Health and Community Systems (Nursing), Oakland
Jeffrey Shook, Professor, Social Work, Oakland
Stacey Triplette, Associate Professor, Spanish, Greensburg
Abagael West, Teaching Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Oakland
Links!
- We packed the bargaining room with faculty union members from across the University.
- We made progress on key remaining issues including a retroactive raise for this past year.
- We continue to remain disappointed with the cost of living raises proposed by Chancellor Gabel’s team.
- If you haven’t done so yet, sign a union membership card to join in the fight for a fair contract!
Dear colleagues,
On March 29th we bargained with the administration and packed the room with faculty union members. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend. It was exciting and powerful to see faculty from across Pitt’s schools and campuses attend the session in support of their bargaining team and for a fair contract. We will continue to fight together to reach agreement on a contract we all deserve!
We continued to make progress on key remaining issues as we work toward an agreement. In addition to the many important tentative agreements we have already reached, we made progress on ensuring that this year’s raises are retroactive to last July. This means that once we reach agreement on and ratify the full contract, bargaining unit members will receive their full raise for this year as a lump sum.
Despite progress on key issues, we remain disappointed in the administration’s proposed cost of living increases. While we have made significant progress on minimum salaries for part-time and full-time faculty, the cost-of-living raises Gabel’s bargaining team are proposing are too small and insufficient to account for the fact that our salaries have not kept up with inflation and the purchasing power we’ve lost in recent years. They are also inconsistent with Pitt policy and the statements of Chancellor Gabel and the Board of Trustees. We are committed to fighting for real raises that begin to restore our purchasing power.
As we work to finalize a strong contract, we are so thankful for all the amazing faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. So many of you have given your time, signed union membership cards, and contributed in numerous ways. If you have not yet signed a membership card, now is the time to join our union! Together, we will quickly get our contract and continue to work to make Pitt a better place.
In solidarity,
Your bargaining committee
Tyler Bickford (chair), Professor, English, Oakland
Pete Bell, Teaching Assistant Professor, Chemistry, Oakland
Nicholas Bircher, Part-time Professor, Nurse Anesthesia, Oakland
Chloe Dufour, Faculty Librarian, ULS, Oakland
Anthony Fabio, Associate Professor, Epidemiology (Public Health), Oakland
Lech Harris (secretary), Part-time Instructor, English, Oakland
James Hill (archivist), Visiting Assistant Professor, History, Oakland
Megan O’Brien, Master Teacher, Falk Laboratory School, Oakland
Sabrina Robinson, Part-time Instructor, Slavic, Oakland
Evan Schneider, Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy, Oakland
Paul Scott, Assistant Professor, Health and Community Systems (Nursing), Oakland
Jeffrey Shook, Professor, Social Work, Oakland
Stacey Triplette, Associate Professor, Spanish, Greensburg
Abagael West, Teaching Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Oakland
Links!
- If someone forwarded this to you, sign up to receive these emails
- Find previous bargaining updates here
- Status of bargaining
- Get in touch with your Council rep
- Get involved with the Communication and Action Team
- Sign a union membership card
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