COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

I support our union because I believe that graduate student workers deserve equitable pay and health care.

BIOENGINEERING

I support the formation of our union of graduate student workers. The right to organize and advocate for our needs promotes a partnership between ourselves and the university. A significant portion of the labor keeping Pitt in the elite of research institutions comes from the hard work and dedication of graduate student researchers. Paying us what we are worth and providing us with the appropriate benefits will solidify the University’s commitment. We can provide a direct line to the heart of pertinent issues and ensure fairness for all.

SOCIOLOGY

As an international student, I can only work at Pitt. My right to stay in the US and my life here are entirely impacted by Pitt’s decisions. At first I was not so comfortable openly supporting our union because I was worried about risks on my immigration status or employment. But unionization is our right. Once we have a union, whenever I have concerns about my employment, I can seek help and support from our union.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS SCIENCE

​Choosing to support a graduate student union means standing in solidarity with your peers, recognizing their struggles, and joining forces to create a better, more supportive academic environment. Together, we can build a community where every graduate student feels valued, heard, and empowered to pursue their academic passions without undue hardship.

GEOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

I support our union because a sense of safety is vital to graduate student success. Equal protections, adequate health insurance, stipends matching the cost of living, and protection within labs and the field can only be achieved when our voices are heard.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS SCIENCE

I support the formation of a grad student union to help provide a voice for the typically underrepresented grad students. We deserve a say in the determination of our pay. Joining a union is completely legal and does not affect the immigration status of an international student.

JAZZ STUDIES​

I support our union because, as grad students carry out the essential teaching and research that makes Pitt function, we deserve to have a democratic say in our working conditions. We deserve adequate benefits and a living wage. Because we, along with the faculty and staff, perform the integral labor of the university, we are best positioned to shape an environment where the love of knowledge and education can truly flourish.

BEHAVIORAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES​

I support our union because we, as grad workers, provide essential labor to the university and deserve fair pay, benefits, and workplace protections. 

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

I believe that everyone working at the University of Pittsburgh is entitled to a living wage, competitive health benefits, and workplace protections; for these reasons, I support our union.

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

I support our union because grad workers deserve adequate healthcare, fair wages, and respect from the university that we do so much to uphold.

HISTORY

I support our union because every graduate worker deserves dignity and respect in our workplace.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

I support our union because I believe graduate workers know best the unique needs of our working conditions as educators, researchers, students, and, often, a combination of these roles at any given time. I believe in enhancing the role of graduate workers in decision-making through our union.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE STUDIES

I support our union because the work we do as researchers and educators makes Pitt run, and we deserve recognition (and better wages and healthcare) for our labor.

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

I support our union because our work is the backbone of the university's teaching and research, and we deserve a say in the decisions that affect us.

As a single mom on a graduate student stipend, I support our union because I depend on consistent and complete medical coverage in order to attend graduate school and pursue my studies.

FILM & MEDIA STUDIES

I support our graduate worker union because improving and protecting international students' welfare with a union contract is better than university policies that could change at any time.

PHILOSOPHY

I support our union because I believe graduate workers form the foundation of the university, and we deserve a proportionate say in all decisions that affect our well-being and ability to thrive, which in turn affects our students’ and communities’ abilities to flourish.

PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

I support our union because grad students deserve a contract that reflects our indispensable labor.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE STUDIES

I support our union because graduate student workers, regardless of which school or positions we are in, deserve equal protections and representation in conversations about our working conditions.

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

I support forming a union for Pitt’s graduate workers because our labor is the backbone of the university and, like all laborers, we deserve a seat at the table when our employer makes decisions about our welfare. Unionizing will give us the power to make sure we get the compensation and benefits we deserve!

SOCIOLOGY

I support our union because graduate workers are the future of higher education, and we deserve a meaningful voice in the decisions that determine the quality of our teaching and research.

SLAVIC LANGUAGES & LITERATURES
I support our union because I come from multiple generations of unionized educators. I’ve seen firsthand how unions deliver better working conditions and protect both teachers and students from administrative mismanagement.

SOCIOLOGY

Our work makes this university, but we don’t have representation. We will fight together as a union to empower ALL graduate worker voices.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

I support the graduate student union because we are the backbone of activities in our institution, and we deserve to advocate for and protect our rights.

ENGLISH WRITING

I support our union because a contract is the only thing that will guarantee us fair wages and adequate health insurance.

MICROBIOLOGY & IMMUNOLOGY
I support our union because we are stronger together.

SLAVIC LANGUAGES & LITERATURES

I support our union because, for an international student, it gives me a sense of community and protection. Navigating another country is challenging, which is why we will work together as a union to defend our rights.

ANTHROPOLOGY

I support our union because I believe graduate workers deserve a voice in decisions that impact our livelihoods.

SOCIOLOGY

As an international graduate worker, I endorse our union because we, as the future of academia, deserve active participation and voice in decisions that impact us.

ANTHROPOLOGY / BEHAVIORAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES

support our union because grad workers deserve a say in decisions made about us, and this is the only way to guarantee that our voices are heard. The university works because we do.

CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE

I support our union because we deserve the security of knowing that our health insurance, wages, and workplace protections will still be there for us next year.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

I support Pitt Grad Worker Union because I believe we are always stronger when we are together. We are valuable researchers and educators who foster diversity and vitality within the Pitt community. It's time for our voices to ring loud, our values to shine bright, and our rights to be unwaveringly defended.

ENGLISH

I support our union because looking out for my fellow workers is the right thing to do. Solidarity forever.

ECONOMICS

I support our grad union because I ought to get my asthma prescriptions without paying a fortune at the CVS counter.

ANTHROPOLOGY
I support our union because all grads deserve good health, dignity, and autonomy in the workplace.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS SCIENCE

I support our union because we all deserve to have a say in our working conditions, including mental and physical safety.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS SCIENCE

I support our union because graduate workers deserve fair pay and affordable healthcare for our high-skill, high-value labor.  A union will help to level the imbalance of power that the administration is exploiting.

BIOSTATISTICS

I support our union because solidarity with our fellow workers allows us to collectively have our professional needs met. Grad workers deserve fair compensation and benefits from the university, and a conversation with administration about what that looks like. The union makes us strong.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS SCIENCE

I support the union because I believe we, as graduate students, deserve to have a stronger, more impactful voice when it comes to decisions about our work environment, healthcare, funding, and the direction of the university.