United Steelworkers seeking vote to unionize thousands of Pitt staff

The United Steelworkers said it intends to file paperwork Monday calling for a state-supervised labor election that could unionize more than 5,000 workers at the University of Pittsburgh’s main campus and four branches.

The USW already represents about 3,000 full- and part-time faculty on Pitt’s main campus in Oakland and branches in Bradford, Greensburg, Johnstown and Titusville. Formed in 2021, that union is negotiating with Pitt on its first contract.

“University of Pittsburgh staff number in the thousands, making them one of Western Pennsylvania’s largest workforces,” the USW said in a statement. “They (include) advisers, researchers, scientists, library and technology specialists, accountants, educators, designers, counselors and administrative professionals.”

The union did not say how many staffers the potential union would include, but it said the labor election, if authorized by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, would potentially be the state’s largest public-sector union election in decades.

The union cited Pitt data indicating that staff account for more than 8,200 of Pitt’s nearly 15,000 employees at the five campuses. Not all of them would be covered by the potential union, and some already are represented by other labor unions.

Organizers needed to get at least 30% of the members of the potential bargaining unit to sign cards indicating they supported the Steelworkers’ election drive. To form a union, more than 50% of the members would need to vote in favor of the move.

USW spokeswoman Jess Kamm said the union’s card drive surpassed the 30% threshold, but she didn’t say by how much.

Kamm said “more concrete, election-focused conversations” with staffers began in the fall of 2021 and “really picked up steam in the past few months.”

“We have a long history of working effectively with unions and respect the right of our employees to decide whether or not to choose a union,” James Gallaher, vice chancellor of Pitt’s Office of Human Resources, said in a statement.

“We strongly believe that the University of Pittsburgh provides an excellent workplace and is guided by a foundational model of shared governance, which is predicated on input from all constituents, including our staff,” Gallaher added.

The university created a website to answer employees’ questions about what it described as an effort to organize nontrade workers. It also characterized the university as a great place to work.

The USW said issues driving the union-election effort include transparency surrounding advancement opportunities, competitive pay and secure benefits.

“It’s about getting a voice in the workplace,” Kamm said.

Later Monday, after filing the labor election paperwork with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, union organizers are planning to hold a rally in the State Capitol rotunda. They said the rally also would mark the beginning of Union Organizing Week across the state.