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BARGAINING UPDATE
​December 15, 2022

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Takeaways:

  • Faculty across the university spent this semester taking action to show the administration that job security is a priority you are willing to fight for
  • In response to this sustained pressure, the administration finally came to the table yesterday with real proposals that address these issues
  • We are working through their proposals, and we are optimistic that we are now in a position to make real progress on improvements to the system of appointments and renewals for part-time and full-time non-tenure-stream faculty

Dear colleagues,

This semester faculty across the university joined the USW Communication and Action Team’s Job Security = Emotional Well-Being campaign, posting signs, wearing buttons, writing testimonials, and participating in actions to show the administration that we are united and committed to solving the longstanding problem of short-term contracts for the majority of faculty at Pitt. Last Wednesday many of you took this message directly to the Provost, demanding that the administration’s bargaining team stop delaying and finally present their own vision for improving job security for our members.

We are pleased to share that at our bargaining session yesterday the administration started doing what you asked of them: they presented their own proposals addressing appointments and renewals for non-tenure-stream full- and part-time faculty. We are reviewing the proposals, but on first read they include significant movement toward the vision we have proposed, where if a faculty member is doing a good job and there is work for them to do, they should be able to keep doing their job without having to continually reapply. Their proposals include provisions for longer contract lengths and changes to the renewal system that would move toward a default of renewal. These proposals are serious and responsive, and we will work hard to find common ground and make progress towards an agreement. The administration did not present proposals on every topic we have raised, but we are more confident now that they will make those proposals soon, and we are cautiously optimistic that yesterday’s progress will provide a foundation for productive negotiations going forward.

Right now we want to share our deep gratitude to all of the faculty who have stood together this fall to say that job security is an urgent priority. After nearly ten months of bargaining it is very clear that our ability to make progress at the table comes from our collective strength as thousands of critical workers who make the university run. As the bargaining committee we can make persuasive cases and reasonable proposals, but at the end of the day the movement we saw at the table yesterday was the product of action we all took together.
We will need to stay united and keep up this momentum in the new year. Together we can and will win a strong first contract that will make a better future for all of us.

In solidarity,

Your bargaining committee

Tyler Bickford (chair), Professor, English, Oakland
Nicholas Bircher, Part-time Professor, Nurse Anesthesia, Oakland
Lauren Collister, Faculty Librarian, ULS, Oakland
Lech Harris (secretary), Part-time Instructor, English, Oakland
James Hill (archivist), Visiting Assistant Professor, History, Oakland
Haitao Liu, Professor, Chemistry, Oakland
Sabrina Robinson, Part-time Instructor, Slavic, Oakland
Valerie Rossi (clerk), Teacher, Falk Laboratory School, 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


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