Ross Kleinstuber

Unionized workers earn, on average, $10,000 more per year than non-union workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Forming a union will allow Pitt faculty to negotiate for better wages, more frequent pay, and an end to unpaid extra work. For example, I do not get paid to supervise internships or directed studies, even though students pay tuition for these courses (and all students in my department are required to take six internship credits). This is unpaid work, pure and simple, and similar arrangements exist in many other departments, I’m sure. On top of this, our raises aren’t keeping pace with inflation, and Pitt faculty are only paid once per month. I’d like to see Pitt faculty negotiate not only for higher pay, but also for semi-monthly pay, a proposal that a union would allow us to bring to the bargaining table if we chose to do so. Getting paid twice per month could help to increase our savings while reducing our debts, especially for those struggling to make ends meet. Getting paid once a month means that many of us need to wait an extra two weeks to have the money we need to pay our bills. This can cause more interest to accrue on some bills, such as student loan payments. It could also cause us to lose out on dividend/interest growth in our retirement plans, which could increase more quickly if our own contributions occurred more frequently. A union would give us the bargaining power to change these and many other practices that disadvantage Pitt faculty.
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--Ross Kleinstuber, Justice Administration & Criminology, Johnstown Campus