By SUSAN JONES
The organizing committee for a staff union at Pitt is hopeful they’ll soon have a date for an election, now that an unfair labor practice charge they filed against the University has been settled.
Kaitlyn Wittig Mengüç, a volunteer on the committee who works as a standardized patient in the Office of Medical Education, said the committee is “continuing to talk to our colleagues, and we are waiting for the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board to give us our election date.”
STAFF UNION INFORMATION
Find more information about the potential staff union at:
Organizing committee site: https://www.pittstaffunion.org/
Official Pitt site: https://staffunionization.pitt.edu/
The fledgling staff union first filed with the PLRB on June 5, 2023, to hold an election on whether to form a union represented by the United Steelworkers, which also represents Pitt faculty. The union effort, which would include staff from all campuses, was first announced in September 2021.
The union needed signatures from at least 30 percent of eligible staff to request an election. Pitt has approximately 8,000 staff members, and of those, around 800 are already represented by separate unions. The PLRB must determine who among the rest are in the bargaining unit.
The unfair labor charge, filed on June 28, 2023, alleged, among other things, that Pitt’s administration broke the law by holding mandatory meetings to discuss the union with staff that the union says are rank and file employees or first-line supervisors, who have a right to organize under Public Employe Relations Act, and spreading an anti-union message at these meetings.
The University said it is “pleased to have worked with the union to reach a resolution on this matter. The email sent by the University’s administration to employees in attendance at the legal compliance trainings reflects the parties’ agreed resolution.”
In the email from James Gallaher, vice chancellor for Human Resources, the University said that in April and May 2023 meetings, “individuals who may not meet the legal definition of a manager or supervisor under the Pennsylvania Public Employe Relations Act (PERA) may have attended these legal compliance trainings. In addition, attendees likely did not receive information concerning the rights of first-level supervisory employees under PERA, as this topic was not addressed during the legal compliance trainings.”
The email went on to say that the University confirms that non-managerial and non-supervisory employees, as well as first-level supervisors, “have the right to self-organize, to form, join or assist labor organizations.” In addition, it said that first-level supervisors, “are permitted to campaign for or against unionization so long as they do not threaten, coerce or promise any benefits to employees.”
There is no clear date on when the PLRB will make its ruling on the election. As with other union organization efforts on campus, the question of who is in the bargaining unit and who isn’t can often be a stumbling block.
“As we wait, it’s more important, I think, than ever for staff to be talking with each other about our options and what kind of union we want to have as a staff union at Pitt,” Mengüç said. “I think you will be seeing us. We’ll be continuing to have conversations across all of our campuses and all of the buildings, and if you don’t see us, come find us. We would love to have conversation with our fellow staff about what you love about working at Pitt or what you think you might want to be improved or how the union might might help you do your job.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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