BARGAINING
UPDATES
October 23, 2025
On Thursday, we fielded long-awaited counter proposals from Pitt’s administration on Grievance and Arbitration and Discipline and Discharge, as well as new counters on Performance Evaluation and English Language Testing. We were happy to see that all four proposals showed movement toward us (specifics in the bargaining tracker), a welcome change after last session’s backsliding. We see this as a direct result of the continued pressure our coworkers have been putting on the administration, and thank you all for your continued support.
We returned counterproposals on appointment notification and security, support for grad workers, protections for international students, and public and health safety.
While today’s progress is heartening, we know we can’t let up. We have still not received a counter proposal for stipend raises for grads this year, or for our right to exercise our professional judgement as workers. We emphasized again to the administration that these are essential, and that we are ready to continue pushing for alignment on these issues.
We have several opportunities coming up for grad workers and our allies to join our fight for a fair contract. Join our bargaining townhall on October 30th at 5pm to hear updates from us and ask your questions. As usual, you can stay up to date with our Bargaining Tracker, and see this and previous updates and newsletters here. Don’t forget to fill out your membership card, 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)
Aden Halpern (Economics)
Alisa Omelchenko (SOM)
Chi-Tsung Chang (English)
Tori Bonidie (Physics & Astronomy)
Hollen Tillman (SSW)
Matt Nader (USW)
Nate Kilbert (USW)
Don Shaffer (USW)
