The University of Pittsburgh's Daily Student Newspaper

The Pitt News
The University of Pittsburgh's Daily Student Newspaper

The Pitt News
The University of Pittsburgh's Daily Student Newspaper

The Pitt News
Pitt administration poured large sums of money into a “union avoidance” law firm, according to financial disclosures.

Pitt’s spending on ‘union avoidance’ law firm nears $3M

By Neena Hagen, Senior Staff Writer • January 11, 2022
University administrators continued to pay large sums of money to a “union avoidance” law firm, with total payouts approaching $3 million, according to financial disclosures.
Pitt faculty will vote on whether to unionize beginning next month, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations board announced Friday.

Pitt faculty to vote on unionization beginning next month

By Jon Moss, Editor-in-Chief • July 16, 2021
After a yearslong campaign, Pitt faculty will vote on whether to unionize beginning next month, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations board ruled Friday.
Pitt’s Office of University Counsel paid Philadelphia-based Ballard Spahr $881,069 in fees between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020 to contest simultaneous but separate unionization attempts by faculty and graduate students.

Steelworkers calls on Pitt to ‘end its anti-union campaign’ against faculty, grad students

By Jon Moss, Editor-in-Chief • January 29, 2021
The United Steelworkers union is calling on Pitt to “end its anti-union campaign” against the efforts by faculty and grad students to unionize at the University.
Pitt’s Office of University Counsel paid Philadelphia-based Ballard Spahr $881,069 in fees between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020 to contest simultaneous but separate unionization attempts by faculty and graduate students.

Pitt spends additional $881K on ‘union avoidance’ law firm, pushing total over $2M

By Neena Hagen, Senior Staff Writer • January 29, 2021
Ballard Spahr, a “union avoidance” law firm, received roughly $881,000 from Pitt between July 2019 and June 2020. Pitt has now paid the firm more than $2 million since grad student and faculty unionization efforts kicked off in 2016.
Pitt’s Office of University Counsel paid Philadelphia-based Ballard Spahr, a “union avoidance” law firm, $1,071,573 in fees between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019, to provide legal support during the separate graduate student and faculty campaigns for unionization.

Pitt’s bill for ‘union avoidance’ law firm passes $1 million

By Jon Moss, News Editor • January 12, 2020
A “union avoidance” law firm continues to receive a large windfall of legal fees from Pitt, recently passing $1 million, according to University financial disclosure reports.
Pitt removes administrators, retirees from faculty union eligibility

Pitt removes administrators, retirees from faculty union eligibility

By Neena Hagen, Senior Staff Writer • December 3, 2019
Faculty union organizers have argued since June that Pitt deliberately inflated its list of 4,018 union-eligible faculty with hundreds of retirees and administrators in order to derail unionization efforts.
Provost Ann Cudd maintained the University did not do anything wrong during April’s graduate student union election after a Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board official ruled that Pitt committed unfair labor practices.

Cudd says Pitt still considering options on proposed grad union ruling

By Jon Moss, Assistant News Editor • September 29, 2019
Provost Ann Cudd maintained the University did not do anything wrong during April’s graduate student union election.
Philadelphia-based firm Ballard Spahr provided legal support during the graduate student and faculty movements for unionization.

Pitt paid almost $240K to “union avoidance” law firm in recent years

By Jon Moss, News Editor • May 14, 2019
A “union avoidance” law firm received a large windfall of legal fees from Pitt, according to previously unreported University financial disclosure reports.
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