FACULTY ACTION UPDATE
December 7, 2022
Takeaways:
- Our power at the bargaining table comes from faculty across the university who are standing together to tell the administration that we need real improvements to job security and pay.
- Our bargaining committee presented job security proposals in July, and despite saying repeatedly that they want to make improvements to job security through the bargaining process, the administration has yet to put forward its own vision for how to do this.
- Since their lawyers at the bargaining table are not hearing this message, faculty from across the university went to the Cathedral this morning and told the Provost directly that we expect to receive serious proposals from them at the next bargaining session on December 14.
Dear colleagues,
Thank you to all of you who were able to make it out to the Provost’s office hour this morning to demand that the administration bring serious counterproposals on key issues to our next bargaining session. We are fighting for ambitious improvements in job security and pay for our first contract. However reasonable or workable our bargaining committee’s proposals are, we can’t make progress without a partner across the bargaining table. We have power because we are thousands of critical employees who do the work that makes the university run. The administration is only going to engage seriously over pay and job security when they see that we will stand together to achieve these goals.
Our bargaining committee presented our vision for improving job security for Pitt faculty in July, but despite saying repeatedly that they also want to make improvements in these areas through the bargaining process, the administration has not yet shared their own vision for how to do that or responded to ours. In fact, the administration only agreed to a single bargaining session in November and one in December, half as many as their previous slow pace. At the November 15 session they presented only two counterproposals that made changes to only six sentences—67 total words. That was their entire contribution for the month!
Thank you to all of you who were able to make it out to the Provost’s office hour this morning to demand that the administration bring serious counterproposals on key issues to our next bargaining session. We are fighting for ambitious improvements in job security and pay for our first contract. However reasonable or workable our bargaining committee’s proposals are, we can’t make progress without a partner across the bargaining table. We have power because we are thousands of critical employees who do the work that makes the university run. The administration is only going to engage seriously over pay and job security when they see that we will stand together to achieve these goals.
Our bargaining committee presented our vision for improving job security for Pitt faculty in July, but despite saying repeatedly that they also want to make improvements in these areas through the bargaining process, the administration has not yet shared their own vision for how to do that or responded to ours. In fact, the administration only agreed to a single bargaining session in November and one in December, half as many as their previous slow pace. At the November 15 session they presented only two counterproposals that made changes to only six sentences—67 total words. That was their entire contribution for the month!
It is clear that the administration will only start bargaining seriously if they see that faculty are willing to take action to demonstrate our commitment to this process. We showed them that this morning. The next bargaining session is on December 14, and we expect them to come to the table with real proposals addressing job security. Since they are not hearing this message at the bargaining table, today faculty from across the university delivered this message directly to the Provost:
Dear Provost Cudd,
You announced that the 2022-23 academic year will be the “Year of Emotional Well-being” at the University of Pittsburgh. We welcome this opportunity to, as you state, “engage collectively with a focus on restoring and enhancing our emotional well-being.” For the 2/3 of the faculty who are on short-term appointments, a major challenge to our emotional well-being is the anxiety and stress of having to frequently renew our contracts. This environment of uncertainty is not good for our students, our research, our library patrons, or our patients. The most straightforward way to improve our emotional well-being would be to eliminate the unnecessary precarity of our jobs. In July, our Bargaining Committee submitted a proposal to the administration for automatic contract renewals. This reflects our view that, if faculty are doing a good job and there is work for them to do, they should be able to keep doing it without having to reapply for their jobs. We ask the administration to bring a thoughtful proposal to the next bargaining session on December 14th. |
Speakers told the Provost about their experiences working on short-term contracts and the negative effect it has on our students, our emotional-well being, and our programs.
Faculty at other universities have won strong contracts when they showed their administrations clearly that they were willing to act together and demonstrate their shared commitment to improving their working conditions. To win a strong first contract, we have to do the same.
Our bargaining committee has said repeatedly that there are many possible approaches to achieving our goal of more secure and stable jobs. While our union has presented our approach we cannot make any progress until the administration presents its own vision for a fair and workable system of appointments, renewals, performance evaluations, and tenure and promotion processes in our first contract.
Again, thank you so much to all of you who stood together today to make sure the Provost heard our message this morning. We look forward to seeing what the administration has for us on December 14.
In solidarity,
Melinda Ciccocioppo, Teaching Associate Professor, Psychology, Oakland Campus
USW Union of Pitt Faculty Communication and Action Team Chair
Links!
Faculty at other universities have won strong contracts when they showed their administrations clearly that they were willing to act together and demonstrate their shared commitment to improving their working conditions. To win a strong first contract, we have to do the same.
Our bargaining committee has said repeatedly that there are many possible approaches to achieving our goal of more secure and stable jobs. While our union has presented our approach we cannot make any progress until the administration presents its own vision for a fair and workable system of appointments, renewals, performance evaluations, and tenure and promotion processes in our first contract.
Again, thank you so much to all of you who stood together today to make sure the Provost heard our message this morning. We look forward to seeing what the administration has for us on December 14.
In solidarity,
Melinda Ciccocioppo, Teaching Associate Professor, Psychology, Oakland Campus
USW Union of Pitt Faculty Communication and Action Team Chair
Links!
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