THE UNION WILL
MAKE ALL OF THE
​DECISIONS FOR YOU.
FACT:  WE are the union​! All graduate student employees would have a voice in the unionization process. Before a contract is ratified, the membership must vote to approve it. Right now, we as graduate students have no say in our working conditions and little recourse if a problem arises. As a union, we can create a legally binding grievance process that is there when we need it, and which will help us to address our concerns fairly and without the fear of retaliation.
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT
WILL HAPPEN IF YOU
VOTE YES
​(BUT IT WILL BE BAD).
FACT:  Graduate student unionization is not a new concept – in fact, 76% of the universities in Pitt’s own comparison class have or are forming unions. After our union is formed and bargaining begins, it’s up to us to decide what we would like to bargain for. There are no dues or fees to opt in as a member to participate in the bargaining process, and you are free to opt out at any time - for instance, after our first contract is ratified, and before you would have to pay dues. All members will have the chance to participate in bargaining, and will be able to vote whether or not to ratify (accept) the contract. If we do not feel like the contract is good, we won't vote to ratify it and will instead go back to the bargaining table to improve the agreement. Then we will work until we have an agreement that will satisfy our members. When graduate student employees have collectively bargained together, they've won major improvements such as higher stipends, better family and dependent health insurance, lower fees, and better protections against harassment and discrimination.
THE UNION WOULD PUT
INTERNATIONAL
​GRADS AT RISK.
FACT:  This is the same scare tactic used by administrators at other universities where graduate student employees have organized unions. These administrations play to the tense political climate around immigration in an attempt to frighten our international colleagues into voting against the union. The fact is, no unions have been able to find an instance of this ever happening in the 50 years since graduate student employees started forming unions in the United States. Thousands of international graduate students are union members.
YOUR STIPEND
​COULD DECREASE.
FACT:  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.
CONTRACT
NEGOTIATIONS WILL
​START FROM ZERO.
FACT:  Contract negotiations start from the status quo. The status quo encompasses everyone’s current working conditions, pay, and benefits (including yours).
GSRs CAN’T
​JOIN UNIONS.
FACT:  The graduate student employee union at the University of Washington, which includes teaching assistants as well as research assistants, ratified their first contract in 2004. Researchers are also included in the grad unions at Harvard and Yale. In the University of California system organizers are working to add the researchers to their long-standing unit of Teaching Assistants and Teaching Fellows.
THERE WILL BE A LIMIT
ON YOUR HOURS SPENT
​DOING RESEARCH.
FACT:  The union can’t - and won’t - tell you how many hours to spend on your research, how to research, or how to interact with your PI or advisor.
YOU WILL BE FORCED
​TO GO ON STRIKE.
FACT: No one can be forced to go on strike. Ever. The decision to strike would be made democratically by the members of your local union, but it’s an individual’s choice to participate. Strikes happen, but are very rare – 98% of all contract negotiations are completed without a strike. Our union would discourage graduate student employees from participating in a strike if it would harm their research or compromise their visa status.
THE UNION WILL COME
BETWEEN YOU 
​AND YOUR ADVISOR.
FACT: The research says no. In the decades that graduate employee unions have existed, there’s been no evidence that collective bargaining has had a negative impact on relationships between graduate student employees and their advisors. Rather, peer-reviewed studies  have suggested that there are positive effects. (See especially Rogers, Sean E., Adrienne E. Eaton, and Paula B. Voos. "Effects of Unionization on Graduate Student Employees: Faculty-Student Relations, Academic Freedom, and Pay." ILR Review 66.2, April 2013).
THE UNIVERSITY IS TOO
COMPLEX FOR A
ONE SIZE FITS 
​ALL AGREEMENT.
FACT:  Graduate student researchers and instructors across departments share many common interests, like health care, family benefits, pay increases, and a fair grievance process. These issues are central to nearly all contract negotiations. A collective-bargaining agreement can be as simple or as detailed and specific as it needs to be to meet the needs of the graduate student employees.
THE USW DOESN'T
UNDERSTAND
​HIGHER EDUCATION.
FACT:  The USW Academic Workers Association represents over 10,000 higher ed workers throughout the US and Canada. Right here in Pittsburgh, we represent adjunct faculty at Point Park and Robert Morris Universities.
YOU WILL BE FORCED
TO PAY DUES AND 
​INITIATION FEES.
FACT:  After the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision Janus v. AFSCME, 585 U.S., 138 S. Ct 2448 (2018), it’s up to you whether or not you choose to pay dues or to be a member of our union. We hope you will because we’re all stronger when we stand together. And even if you do join, there are no dues collected until we ratify (vote to accept) our first contract, and no initiation fees for newly organized local unions in the USW. Dues are 1.45% of your gross wages plus 2 cents per hour (so 40 cents a week for all graduate student employees on a 20 hour/ week stipend).
THE UNION CAN’T
​GUARANTEE ANYTHING.
FACT:  Right now, the administration makes all decisions and changes unilaterally, without any input from graduate student employees. With a contract in place, our stipends and benefits are guaranteed, and protected from being changed by the University without our input.
WE DON’T NEED
A UNION TO FIX
​OUR PROBLEMS.
FACT:  A collective-bargaining agreement means that both parties (the graduate student employee union and the Pitt administration) must work together to create a mutually beneficial agreement. Right now, the university has unilateral control over our working conditions. We have many avenues to share information about the changes we seek, but no mechanisms to ensure that we’re actually being heard.
YOUR DEPARTMENT
WON’T BE REPRESENTED
​DURING BARGAINING.
FACT:  Our organizing committee has graduate students from nearly all programs and departments across Pitt. We strive to be representative. The best way to combat this concern is to get involved. Send us an email at info@pittgradunion.org if you’d like to join us!
THE GSO/GPSG  
COULD NO LONGER
REPRESENT YOU.
FACT:  While these student governments do (and will continue to do) important advocacy work, the administration is under no obligation to act on any recommendations or request that they might make. Your collective bargaining agreement (contract) is a legally binding document that specifically relates to your employment conditions. Student Governance will continue to exist and function as it does now, and the Pitt Grad Union can work together with these organizations to make positive changes. This is why the Dietrich School’s Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Organization voted to endorse our campaign.
PITT ADMINISTRATORS
HAVE YOUR BEST
​INTERESTS AT HEART.
FACT:  We’re rational, well-educated adults and are trusted to teach undergrads and conduct research here at Pitt. The Administration should trust us enough to advocate for ourselves.
PITT IS A COMMUNITY.
A UNION WOULD FORCE
AN ADVERSARIAL
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
GRADS AND THE
​UNIVERSITY.
FACT:  A community is built on trust and mutual respect. As a union, we can negotiate with the administration as equals. The relationship between the administration and the union does not have to be adversarial, but can instead be very positive and collaborative. This is something that we will always strive for as a union.
WE WERE JUST GETTING
READY TO FIX ALL OF
​THE PROBLEMS.
FACT:  Many issues continue to go unaddressed by the administration. Collective bargaining ensures that they take our concerns seriously, and that we can create a plan to fix things together.
YOU COULD LOSE
​YOUR FUNDING.
​FACT:  Due to COVID-19 and its impact on our research, our funding is already on the line. As a union, we can negotiate with the university to secure the provisions that we need to successfully complete our programs. On September 18th, the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences announced the suspension of admissions in 2020-21 for most of its graduate programs. We fear that other Pitt graduate programs may enact similar austerity measures as well. Pitt has cut its operating budget, after all, despite stable enrollment, undiminished state funding, a $4.3 billion endowment, and $21 million in federal CARES grants. Prior to the pandemic, Pitt had reported large budgetary surpluses. The union will have no control over your department or advisor’s funding and would never seek to damage Pitt’s ability to fund its programs. To the contrary, we could work together to lobby our elected officials to bring more funding to Pitt.​