what's the process?
Right now, we’re collecting signed union authorization cards from Pitt grad workers. An authorization card is a document saying we want to join the United Steelworkers and win union representation at work. We keep these signed cards completely confidential. No administrator or PI will ever see who signed a card.
We will send our signed authorization cards to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) – the state government agency in charge of enforcing our rights as employees – along with a petition for an union election. The PLRB will conduct a secret ballot election for Pitt grad workers. Any grad student at Pitt with a GSR, GSA, TF, or TA appointment will be eligible to cast a ballot. A simple majority of ballots cast will determine the results. If a majority of grads vote to form our union, we’ll win the right to collectively negotiate with Pitt’s administration over our pay, benefits, and working conditions. Pitt administration won’t be legally allowed to make unilateral changes to our benefits anymore. They’ll have to negotiate with us first.
After we win, we’ll elect a bargaining committee from amongst our fellow grad workers. With some legal guidance and expertise from the USW, our bargaining committee will sit down with Pitt’s administration and representatives, and will negotiate a collective bargaining agreement that reflects grad worker priorities. We’ll all get to review the agreement and democratically vote to ratify it before it takes effect. The agreement will be mutually binding: the administration will have to abide by the rules and protections we negotiate!
We will send our signed authorization cards to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board (PLRB) – the state government agency in charge of enforcing our rights as employees – along with a petition for an union election. The PLRB will conduct a secret ballot election for Pitt grad workers. Any grad student at Pitt with a GSR, GSA, TF, or TA appointment will be eligible to cast a ballot. A simple majority of ballots cast will determine the results. If a majority of grads vote to form our union, we’ll win the right to collectively negotiate with Pitt’s administration over our pay, benefits, and working conditions. Pitt administration won’t be legally allowed to make unilateral changes to our benefits anymore. They’ll have to negotiate with us first.
After we win, we’ll elect a bargaining committee from amongst our fellow grad workers. With some legal guidance and expertise from the USW, our bargaining committee will sit down with Pitt’s administration and representatives, and will negotiate a collective bargaining agreement that reflects grad worker priorities. We’ll all get to review the agreement and democratically vote to ratify it before it takes effect. The agreement will be mutually binding: the administration will have to abide by the rules and protections we negotiate!
