BARGAINING
UPDATES

March 31, 2026

On Tuesday, we met with the administration’s bargaining committee. In front of dozens of our coworkers, members of Pitt’s faculty shared powerful testimonials about how protecting grad workers’ academic freedom is essential to creating a vibrant and productive learning and working environment for all Pitt community members. We then proposed a new proposal package that included our non-discrimination, performance evaluation, just cause, and management rights proposals. In combining these proposals, we emphasized the importance of these proposals as part of our holistic vision for grad workers’ working conditions in our first contract.

After receiving counter proposals from the administration on professional rights and hours of work, we quickly returned new counters on these, a new proposal on artificial intelligence, and resubmitted our recent counter proposals on appointments and health and safety. In our resubmissions we emphasized that the issues that separate us from the administration are essential protections grad workers deserve that create little additional burden on our Employer. Our Artificial Intelligence proposal prevents Pitt from using copyrightable material to train its AI Systems without permission and protects grad workers’ right to choose when and how to incorporate AI Systems into our teaching and research.

Join us this Thursday April 2nd in the Cathedral of Learning 2117H for our next bargaining townhall to talk about our most recent session and any questions you may have about the bargaining process. 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.

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)  
Michaela Cushing-Daniels, Recording Secretary (SPIA)  
Keanna Cash (SOE)     
Alisa Omelchenko (SOM)  
Chi-Tsung Chang (English)  
Hollen Tillman (SSW)
Emily Ruttenberg (Math)
Matt Nader (USW)
Nate Kilbert (USW)
Don Shaffer (USW)