University of Pittsburgh Staff Vote to Join USW

Contact: Cheyenne Schoen, [email protected], 412-562-2446

Pittsburgh - University of Pittsburgh staff members today voted to become members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union and look forward to bargaining their first union contract with the school's administration.

"Staff at Pitt have finally achieved what all workers deserve - a collective voice and the ability to take part in decisions that affect our work. It's been a long road, but ultimately our solidarity carried us through to this historic moment," said Emilee Ruhland, a Global Communications Strategist in the University Center for International Studies.

The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board held a mail ballot election over the past several weeks for the staff members. A strong majority voted in favor of joining the union.

"This will make Pitt a more secure workplace and a better place to get an education," said Ruhland. "It's a victory for the whole campus community."

The roughly 6,300 workers will become part of the 850,000-member USW, one of the largest labor unions in North America, which has its headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh. Faculty at Pitt unionized with the USW in 2021.

"This win belongs to every staff member who stood together for a stronger, more inclusive Pitt," said USW District 10 Director Bernie Hall, who represents about 50,000 Steelworkers in Pennsylvania. "When workers have a voice, the entire university thrives-from the classrooms to the community that calls it home."

Approximately 2,100 Pitt graduate workers this year filed for their own union election with the USW and will vote once the PLRB sets the schedule.

The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in manufacturing, metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in tech, public sector and service occupations.

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