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
Voting in Pitt’s faculty unionization election closed Tuesday evening. Eligible professors and researchers from all five Pitt campuses cast their vote on whether to unionize or not.

Faculty union organizers ‘optimistic’ as election draws to a close

By Katie Cassidy, Staff Writer • October 12, 2021
More than five years after Pitt faculty began a union-organizing campaign, they will start to find out next week whether they succeeded in bringing a union to campus.
SGB released a statement on Sunday announcing their support of Pitt’s faculty unionization efforts and “their freedom to vote and freedom to unionize at will.”

SGB releases statement supporting faculty’s ‘freedom to unionize’

By Natalie Frank, News Editor • October 10, 2021
SGB released a statement on Sunday supporting Pitt faculty’s “freedom to vote and freedom to unionize” in the ongoing faculty union election. It also criticizes Pitt’s relationship with Ballard Spahr, a “union avoidance” law firm.
Student Government Board at its weekly meeting in Nordy’s Place.

SGB working on faculty unionization statement, addresses student concerns

By Kiera Ledermann, Staff Writer • September 29, 2021
While the Student Government Board voted last week not to sign onto a statement written by other student leaders in support of the ongoing faculty union election, President Harshitha Ramanan said Tuesday that the board is working on its own.
Pitt’s Graduate & Professional Student Government and College of General Studies Student Government released a statement Wednesday in support of Pitt faculty unionization.

Graduate, CGS student leaders release statement supporting faculty unionization

By Millicent Watt, Assistant News Editor • September 23, 2021
Pitt’s Graduate & Professional Student Government and College of General Studies Student Government released a statement Wednesday in support of Pitt faculty unionization.
Student Government Board at its weekly meeting in Nordy’s Place.

SGB votes to not sign onto statement supporting faculty unionization

By Kiera Ledermann, Staff Writer • September 22, 2021
Pitt Student Government Board members were at odds at their Tuesday evening meeting over whether to formally encourage Pitt’s faculty to vote in favor of unionization.
Pitt’s Faculty Assembly met Wednesday to discuss the details of Pitt’s vaccine requirements and how the University would continue to keep all campuses safe from COVID-19.

Faculty Assembly discusses vaccine data, unionization vote at September meeting

By Betul Tuncer, Staff Writer • September 2, 2021
Dr. John Williams, head of Pitt’s COVID-19 Medical Response Office, said Wednesday that with high vaccination numbers and the COVID-19 positivity rate at less than 1%, the University is in a “great place” for the start of the fall semester.
Faculty union organizers have had to turn to Zoom calls and emails to rally support.

Pitt faculty prepare for union election, adjust campaigning amid pandemic

By Nathan Fitchett and Neena Hagen • February 16, 2021
For years, Pitt faculty union organizers visited offices, labs and classrooms to talk with professors about how a union could improve their lives. With a faculty union election coming up during a pandemic, organizers have transitioned their efforts to Zoom.
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 annual payments to the legal firm Ballard Spahr began to increase in 2016, coinciding with the launch of the graduate and faculty union campaigns.

Analysis: Comparing Pitt’s current Ballard Spahr spending with pre-unionization

By Neena Hagen, Senior Staff Writer • January 21, 2020
Since the graduate and faculty union campaigns launched in 2016, Pitt has paid more than $1.3 million to “union avoidance” legal giant Ballard Spahr — an average of $328,000 per year.
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.
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