By MARTY LEVINE

Prior to the recent staff unionization, Staff Council was known for advocating publicly to create new or expand existing staff benefits — and for working directly with University administrators to successfully accomplish this. Sometimes these efforts seemed to represent shared governance in its most direct form.

But because the union now has the exclusive right to negotiate for many work-related benefits for the staff it represents — about 80 percent of the total — Staff Council, on campus for more than 55 years, became a bit stymied.

At its April meeting, Staff Council’s long-running Staff Relations Committee chairs, Barb Klipa and Kathryn Ferguson, told Staff Council in their monthly report: “Committee members are concerned about the future of this committee and SC in general,” and were discussing a proposal for how both might proceed.

At the same time Staff Council President Lindsay Rodzwicz announced the first meeting of the organization’s new Staff Relations Sub-Committee on Non-Represented Staff, “discussing goals, priorities, charges.”

“The challenge right now is operating in a period of uncertainty,” Klipa and Rodzwicz wrote together, in response to questions from the University Times. “Staff Relations wants to continue advancing initiatives that improve staff experience, but we also respect the boundaries of the union’s bargaining authority. At the same time, many staff are not represented by the union and depend on Staff Relations to advocate on their behalf. With so much still undefined while the bargaining agreement is being negotiated, the gray areas in the current landscape make it difficult to move forward.”

Asked how adjusting to this new reality might shift Staff Council’s focus, the pair said: “Some of the strategies that are still being discussed are:

• Strengthening communication channels by providing informational updates on what is publicly known, explaining what falls under Staff Council’s purview, and developing guidance for supervisors on how to support staff during this time of transition. 

• Advancing initiatives outside of the collective bargaining agreement such as the Staff Council Mentorship Program, professional development opportunities, staff recognition programs, campus climate and inclusion initiatives, well-being and engagement efforts, which remain fully within Staff Council’s purview.

• Documenting what items fall outside of bargaining for all staff. We are looking to create a decision tree to help determine for our committee members what issues are under the purview of Staff Relations for all staff, which relate to non-represented staff only, and which topics/areas are subject to bargaining by the Staff Union. This decision tree will help to reroute concerns and questions to either the non-represented subcommittee or the union representatives.

• Supporting staff through education on existing policies, helping staff navigate non-union grievance processes and clarifying what remains unchanged during negotiations. Staff Relations will remain active on many matters that are not subject to bargaining for all staff.

• Continuing to advocate in areas that are not covered by the union negotiations, including staff morale, campus culture, hiring practices, transparent communication and recognition and engagement. These are fully within Staff Relations’ scope and remain important to the welfare of Pitt staff.”

Staff Council’s Staff Relations Committee has historically used shared governance to work toward improvements in staff compensation and job classification, alongside benefits. Staff Council as a whole now will be working to shift the committee’s role, voting in the near future to changes its bylaws to “provide clarification between the legal bargaining authority held by the Staff Union versus the advocacy role of Staff Relations for those who are not union represented,” Klipa and Rodzwicz said. “In our opinion, the Staff Union and Staff Council ultimately want the same thing — the best working environment for staff of the University of Pittsburgh — but there are fundamental differences in how the two groups operate.”

While the union negotiates contracts under a formal bargaining process and has official grievance policies and procedures, they pointed out, “the Staff Relations Committee of Staff Council collaborates with all areas of the University and makes recommendations, fosters communication and focuses on policy review, information and education.” While there is “significant overlap in the areas of focus,” they said, “there are actions the Staff Relations committee legally cannot take” anymore.

“Concerns from non-represented staff members are often expressed to our members and relayed via membership, through the Staff Council office or shared directly with the officers,” they said.  “We also receive emails directly from staff. We continue to hear concerns and advocate around salary compression, increasing benefit costs, contributing to the retirement plan, career paths and advancement, professional development and supervisor training. As many staff who are not-represented supervise two or more employees, there are now unique needs for supervisor training in the more unionized environment.”

And, of course, if they hear a concern whose solution is subject to collective bargaining, they direct the staffer to the union.

The new subcommittee for non-represented staff is a temporary measure, but, the pair said, “we are exploring the potential need for a permanent standing committee within Staff Council for those who are not represented.”

Marty Levine is a staff writer for the University Times. Reach him at martyl@pitt.edu or 412-758-4859.

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