By SUSAN JONES
The Union of Pitt Faculty voted to ratify its first contract with Pitt last week, with a turnout of 88.4 percent of members, according to the union. Melinda Ciccocioppo, head of the union’s communication and action team, said 98.3 percent voted to approve the contract, which includes salary floors, raises, more job protections and a ratification bonus.
FULL DETAILS
See a summary of the contract and the full agreement on the Union of Pitt Faculty website. Also read more about the contract and reaction to the agreement in the May 3 University Times.
“We’re really happy with this as a first contract,” Ciccocioppo said. “We think it’s a good start, but we know that there are still things that faculty want, and we’re looking forward to starting those conversations about what our members are interested in seeing in our next contract, because we’ll be back at the bargaining table in a year and a half.”
The union declined to say how many of the roughly 3,515 faculty in the bargaining unit have signed union cards to become members of the United Steelworkers. But the contract will impact the lives of everyone in the bargaining unit, regardless of whether they have joined the union. The contract is good through June 30, 2026.
The most immediate impact will be $3,900 flat raises for the 2023-24 fiscal year for all full-time faculty in the bargaining unit, along with $5,000 ratification bonuses split between this year and next. The $2,500 first half of the bonus must be distributed within 60 days of the May 10 ratification date.
Part-time faculty will see a 4 percent raise as of July 1, plus a $500 ratification bonus.
The University said it is working with the union to implement the agreement. It’s unclear when the raises will show up in paychecks.
“The costs for the faculty maintenance increases will be reflected in the University’s fiscal year 2025 operating budget, which the Board of Trustees will be asked to approve this summer,” a University spokesperson said. “Total costs of the faculty salary agreement have not yet been determined.”
Ciccocioppo said the union knows it will take the administration some time to work all the details through payroll, “so I wouldn’t expect it by the end of this month.”
The union said of the 3,515 in the union, around 2,200 are full-time and 1,315 are part-time. That would put the cost for this year for full-time faculty increases and bonuses for everyone at around $21.6 million. But that number doesn’t include raises for part-time faculty or the money needed to bring full-time faculty making less than $60,000 up to that level — one of the key parts of the agreement. Overall, Pitt paid $1.3 billion in salaries to non-officers in the 2022-23, according to the just-released IRS 990 report.
The next step for the union is to “set up our local union, so that means we’ll need to elect officers and fill committees and start holding general membership meetings,” Ciccocioppo said. “We’ll be in touch with our our union members in the near future to let them know how they can get involved and participate.”
She pointed out that “if people want to participate and get involved and determine what those priorities are, if they haven’t done so yet, sign a membership card and and that’s how you have a voice.”
Reaction
“When Pitt faculty first organized with our union in 2021, it was clear that they needed a voice on the job, not only so that they could address pressing concerns about their own wages and working conditions, but also so they could improve communication and build out shared governance to the benefit of the wider University community,” USW District 10 Director Bernie Hall said in a statement.
Hall said that going into bargaining, Pitt faculty identified as priorities job security and raising wages, both of which they felt would help provide needed stability for faculty and students alike.
“This contract makes tremendous progress on both these fronts, while still maintaining existing benefits,” he said. “Our members should be proud of all their hard work, perseverance and solidarity that paved the way for this historic win.”
Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel told Senate Council the day before the contract vote was finalized that she was “very pleased” to say the administration had reached a tentative agreement with the Union of Pitt Faculty. “It’s very nice to come in toward the tail end of a very long process and ring the bell. But with thanks to everyone along the entire way, I inherited a process that was well underway.”
A University spokesman said in a statement: "We are very pleased that the faculty union has ratified our first collective bargaining agreement. This historic agreement demonstrates the University of Pittsburgh’s commitment to our world-class faculty and their key role in supporting our students’ top-notch, accessible educational opportunities. Our sincere appreciation to both the union representatives and the administration whose hard work and dedication contributed to reaching this agreement.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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