What is a union?
A union is a group of workers (i.e., Pitt graduate student employees) who come together to negotiate with their employer (i.e., Pitt’s administration) over their working conditions. This process, known as collective bargaining, is recognized and protected by Pennsylvania labor law. Collective bargaining will allow us to negotiate with the university as an equal partner. Negotiations are bilateral, which means that the employees and the administration work together to come up with a mutually beneficial agreement that both sides can be happy with. This legally-binding agreement between the workers and their employer is called a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) - also known as a contract.
A union is a group of workers (i.e., Pitt graduate student employees) who come together to negotiate with their employer (i.e., Pitt’s administration) over their working conditions. This process, known as collective bargaining, is recognized and protected by Pennsylvania labor law. Collective bargaining will allow us to negotiate with the university as an equal partner. Negotiations are bilateral, which means that the employees and the administration work together to come up with a mutually beneficial agreement that both sides can be happy with. This legally-binding agreement between the workers and their employer is called a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) - also known as a contract.
What is GSOC?
The Pitt Graduate Student Organizing Committee (GSOC-USW) is the organizing committee of the Pitt Grad Union. We’ve been organizing since 2015, and we’re still going strong! If you’d like to become a member of GSOC or to find out more, please contact us.
The Pitt Graduate Student Organizing Committee (GSOC-USW) is the organizing committee of the Pitt Grad Union. We’ve been organizing since 2015, and we’re still going strong! If you’d like to become a member of GSOC or to find out more, please contact us.
Who are the United Steelworkers (USW)? What do they know about higher ed?
Graduate student employees typically choose to affiliate with a larger labor union, such as the United Steelworkers (USW). In 2015, a group of Pitt PhD candidates who were concerned about their working conditions reached out to the USW and asked to work together to help form a union to represent graduate workers at Pitt. The USW, headquartered right here in Pittsburgh, is an equal partner in our campaign and gives us access to dedicated organizing staff, material resources to fund our organizing, and offers technical and intellectual resources that will help us to secure the best possible contract and grow the strongest possible union.
Graduate student employees typically choose to affiliate with a larger labor union, such as the United Steelworkers (USW). In 2015, a group of Pitt PhD candidates who were concerned about their working conditions reached out to the USW and asked to work together to help form a union to represent graduate workers at Pitt. The USW, headquartered right here in Pittsburgh, is an equal partner in our campaign and gives us access to dedicated organizing staff, material resources to fund our organizing, and offers technical and intellectual resources that will help us to secure the best possible contract and grow the strongest possible union.
But why are we called the Steelworkers?
Our union began in the early 1940’s as a manufacturing union that represented those who worked in the region’s steel mills, but we have since diversified to represent workers from many different industries. We represent workers in healthcare, higher education workers like faculty members and research staff, public sector employees, librarians, tech professionals, pharmaceutical workers, and chemists - just to name a few. To address the unique needs of workers in higher education, the USW established the Academic Workers Association (USW-AWA), which represents over 10,000 higher ed workers throughout the US and Canada.
Our union began in the early 1940’s as a manufacturing union that represented those who worked in the region’s steel mills, but we have since diversified to represent workers from many different industries. We represent workers in healthcare, higher education workers like faculty members and research staff, public sector employees, librarians, tech professionals, pharmaceutical workers, and chemists - just to name a few. To address the unique needs of workers in higher education, the USW established the Academic Workers Association (USW-AWA), which represents over 10,000 higher ed workers throughout the US and Canada.
Who is eligible to be in our union?
The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) issued a ruling stating that:
International students have the same right to join a union as domestic students do! Voting in a union election, helping to organize a union, and/or belonging to a union has no impact on your visa status.
The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) issued a ruling stating that:
- All Teaching Assistants (TAs), Teaching Fellows (TFs), Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) and Graduate Student Assistants (GSAs) are eligible to be in our union.
- Unfunded grads, those on fellowships and those on training grants are ineligible because they are not directly employed by the University. If you have questions about your own eligibility or want to know more about how this was decided, please [contact us].
International students have the same right to join a union as domestic students do! Voting in a union election, helping to organize a union, and/or belonging to a union has no impact on your visa status.
What is a union contract? What can we gain as a union?
A union contract is a legally-binding, bilateral agreement between us (the workers), and the university (our employer), which sets the terms of our working conditions. A contract provides protection. Right now, Pitt could choose to decrease our stipends or increase our healthcare premiums, and we couldn’t do anything about it. As a union, we would have legal rights to negotiate any changes to our existing working conditions and benefits. With a contract in place, we can protect the things we love about working for Pitt–like our great healthcare benefits–and also bargain with the administration to secure the things that we need–like annual, percentage-based stipend increases, better protections against workplace harassment and discrimination, and emergency funding extensions to offset COVID-19-related travel and research limitations.
A union contract is a legally-binding, bilateral agreement between us (the workers), and the university (our employer), which sets the terms of our working conditions. A contract provides protection. Right now, Pitt could choose to decrease our stipends or increase our healthcare premiums, and we couldn’t do anything about it. As a union, we would have legal rights to negotiate any changes to our existing working conditions and benefits. With a contract in place, we can protect the things we love about working for Pitt–like our great healthcare benefits–and also bargain with the administration to secure the things that we need–like annual, percentage-based stipend increases, better protections against workplace harassment and discrimination, and emergency funding extensions to offset COVID-19-related travel and research limitations.
Important: No graduate student union contract we’ve encountered raises the wages of some grads while lowering others. Because different departments have different stipend levels (and different funding sources), contract raises are generally assigned by across-the-board percentage increase. Curious about the stipend rates across Pitt? Take a look at our Stipend Transparency Project for more information.
Who will bargain our contract? How do you know what my department’s needs are?
First, you can help advocate for grads in your department right now by joining our organizing committee. After we win our union election, we, the grads at Pitt, will elect our bargaining committee. This is a democratic, representative process that will have grad workers from all departments and schools involved. The bargaining committee, with help from experienced union negotiators from the USW, will survey grad workers at Pitt to find out what we like about our working conditions, what we want to change, and the best way to improve things. After the bargaining committee is finished negotiating with the administration, the resulting agreement (known as a tentative agreement, or TA) then comes back to us. Each member gets to cast a vote on whether we want to ratify (formally accept) the agreement or keep bargaining with the administration. If the tentative agreement is ratified, then we have a contract! If it is voted down, then we will keep working on it.
Important: we do not pay union dues until our contract is ratified.
First, you can help advocate for grads in your department right now by joining our organizing committee. After we win our union election, we, the grads at Pitt, will elect our bargaining committee. This is a democratic, representative process that will have grad workers from all departments and schools involved. The bargaining committee, with help from experienced union negotiators from the USW, will survey grad workers at Pitt to find out what we like about our working conditions, what we want to change, and the best way to improve things. After the bargaining committee is finished negotiating with the administration, the resulting agreement (known as a tentative agreement, or TA) then comes back to us. Each member gets to cast a vote on whether we want to ratify (formally accept) the agreement or keep bargaining with the administration. If the tentative agreement is ratified, then we have a contract! If it is voted down, then we will keep working on it.
Important: we do not pay union dues until our contract is ratified.
Do we have to pay dues?
No one pays dues until our agreement is ratified. After that, dues are 1.45% plus 2¢per hour to help with the cost of organizing. If you transition onto a fellowship or training grant, you will stop paying dues but will still remain a member of our union in good standing for 2 years.
Most graduate employee contracts include raises that more than cover the cost of their union dues. In researching existing grad union contracts, we have found 0 examples where workers made less than they did before forming their union.
No one pays dues until our agreement is ratified. After that, dues are 1.45% plus 2¢per hour to help with the cost of organizing. If you transition onto a fellowship or training grant, you will stop paying dues but will still remain a member of our union in good standing for 2 years.
Most graduate employee contracts include raises that more than cover the cost of their union dues. In researching existing grad union contracts, we have found 0 examples where workers made less than they did before forming their union.
Most graduate employee contracts include raises that more than cover the cost of their union dues. In researching existing grad union contracts, we have found 0 examples where workers made less than they did before forming their union.
Are there other grad student unions? What have they won?
Graduate student unions are not new! In 1969, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Teaching Assistants Association was the first grad union to be recognized. Since then, dozens more have organized, or have begun the process. Recently, graduate student employees at prestigious universities like Brown, Harvard, and Georgetown have all voted to ratify strong first union contracts.
Our graduate student colleagues at a majority of institutions in Pitt’s comparison class already have, or are forming, graduate student unions.
Graduate student unions are not new! In 1969, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Teaching Assistants Association was the first grad union to be recognized. Since then, dozens more have organized, or have begun the process. Recently, graduate student employees at prestigious universities like Brown, Harvard, and Georgetown have all voted to ratify strong first union contracts.
Our graduate student colleagues at a majority of institutions in Pitt’s comparison class already have, or are forming, graduate student unions.
Grads at other institutions have seen huge wins, such as:
Click here to learn more about graduate student unions at other institutions
- Funding security, including 1-year extensions for grads whose research has been affected due to COVID-19
- Annual, across-the-board stipend increases
- Enhanced dental, vision, and mental health benefits
- Improved family benefits, such as dependent health coverage, child-care subsidies and paid maternity leave
- Paid vacation and sick leave
- Protections against discriminatory practices, sexual harassment, and assault
- A fair grievance process for handling workplace issues, that also protects the worker from retaliation
- A legal right to have a say in decisions that affect our working conditions
Click here to learn more about graduate student unions at other institutions
What has been the process for forming our grad union here at Pitt?
One day longer, one day stronger: our fight to organize won't stop!
The University’s administration has fought hard to deny us our legal right to organize. They have dragged us through an expensive, protracted legal battle and have spent millions in our taxpayer and tuition dollars that could have been allocated to fund scholarship and otherwise support us in our programs. After our narrow election loss, Pitt was found to have engaged in unfair practices that may have materially affected the outcome of the election. The legal battle is still pending. It’s important to recognize that despite the millions Pitt has spent to stall the process, we continue to organize to build worker power for grads.
The University’s administration has fought hard to deny us our legal right to organize. They have dragged us through an expensive, protracted legal battle and have spent millions in our taxpayer and tuition dollars that could have been allocated to fund scholarship and otherwise support us in our programs. After our narrow election loss, Pitt was found to have engaged in unfair practices that may have materially affected the outcome of the election. The legal battle is still pending. It’s important to recognize that despite the millions Pitt has spent to stall the process, we continue to organize to build worker power for grads.
Join our movement: by grads, for grads
Despite the lengthy legal timeline, we are still organizing and continue to be a powerful voice that advocates for all grad workers here at Pitt. That’s why we need your help to reach more of our colleagues! We have the will and the determination to better the lives of all grad workers. The only thing missing is your voice.
Despite the lengthy legal timeline, we are still organizing and continue to be a powerful voice that advocates for all grad workers here at Pitt. That’s why we need your help to reach more of our colleagues! We have the will and the determination to better the lives of all grad workers. The only thing missing is your voice.
I have a question that isn’t answered here
The best way to find out more is to speak with a member of our organizing committee, join us on our discord server, or email us at info@pittgradunion.org.
The best way to find out more is to speak with a member of our organizing committee, join us on our discord server, or email us at info@pittgradunion.org.