BARGAINING
UPDATES

July 30, 2026

On Thursday, we exchanged International Employee and Pay Schedule proposals with the administration’s bargaining committee and reached tentative agreements on the Health and Safety and International Employee proposals. In health and safety, we secured real safety standards in our workplace, a way to report issues, and hold our employer accountable for fixing them. No one should feel unsafe in their workplace or scared to report, so we secured protection against retaliation for reporting unsafe situations and the ability to get safety training for any job duties. In the International Employees proposal, we ensure that OIS will continue to support international workers with visa questions and possible denied entry into the U.S. This proposal also ensures the employer will notify us if they are aware of a bargaining employee detained for immigration-related reasons, so that the Union can step in and offer support to the affected employee.

We are still waiting for the administration to return proposals on Just Cause in the Exercise of Professional Judgment and Hours of Work, as well as the pay raise MOU. These delays are major obstacles to presenting the economic proposals that we are all eagerly anticipating. We hope that the administration will engage on these important topics soon so we can keep progressing steadily toward a first contract that ensures the working conditions that graduate workers deserve.

Before we begin the semester, we invite you to join your fellow workers for a Pitt Grad, Staff, and Faculty happy hour on Friday, August 14, from 5-7pm at East End Brewing Company. Hope to see you there!

To get connected to our organizing committee’s efforts, follow @pittgradunion on social media and get connected to an organizer in your field by clicking here. Check out the bargaining tracker for the full proposals!

See this and previous updates and newsletters here. Don’t forget to fill out your membership card if you haven’t already, or to fill out this form if your working conditions change. The administration will NOT have access to your membership card information (including whether or not you signed one) until our first contract is ready for ratification.

In solidarity, 

Your bargaining committee

Lauren Wewer, Chair (MEMS)  
Alisa Omelchenko, Recording Secretary (SOM)  
Keanna Cash (SOE)     
Chi-Tsung Chang (English)  
Hollen Tillman (SSW
Emily Ruttenberg (Math)
Emily Wheelis (Neuroscience)
Jackson Wallace (Physics)
Matt Nader (USW)
Nate Kilbert (USW)
Don Shaffer (USW)