By SUSAN JONES
Pitt’s fledgling staff union introduced itself to Chancellor Joan Gabel with a letter delivered on July 31 that seeks collaboration with Pitt’s new leader.
“Under your leadership, we look forward to collaborating to make Pitt an even better place to learn, research and work,” states the letter, signed by more than 120 Pitt staff members.
The Staff Union of Pitt, which is being organized under the United Steelworkers banner, on June 5 filed for a union election with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.
The union needed signatures from at least 30 percent of eligible staff to request an election. It is unclear how many of the Pitt’s 8,000 staff members would be included in the bargaining unit.
In its letter, the volunteer organizing committee of the Staff Union of Pitt said that the previous administration of Chancellor Patrick Gallagher “has been telling us that they respect our rights and voices and will leave the decision to us. We all agree that is the right thing to do.”
However, the letter pointed out that on June 28, members of the organizing committee filed an unfair practice charge against the University with the PLRB, alleging some staff were forced to attend mandatory anti-union meetings and that Pitt misclassified some workers as managers and told them they did not have the right to unionize under Pennsylvania law.
A University spokesperson said Pitt has “a long history of working effectively with unions and respect the right of our employees to self-organize including deciding whether or not to choose a union. As many supervisors and managers at Pitt do not have experience with unions, the University offers training and resources to ensure that managers and supervisors do not contribute to the creation of an anti-union environment.”
The letter ends with the union asking to meet with Gabel at her “earliest convenience,” and says, “We hope that under your leadership we can resolve these problems and collaborate to keep Pitt a university that continues to lead academically and sets the standard for productive labor relations.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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