Pitt graduate students fall short in union election
Labor relations board issues final ruling
The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board is out with a final ruling upholding election results showing graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh who sought to unionize fell short, a decision Pitt officials say effectively ends the drive to organize assistants who teach, do research and engage in other endeavors.
Union organizers, though, said they are appealing. Meanwhile, a separate drive involving faculty has reached an election, with voting slated to continue through Oct. 12.
The ruling involving grad employees, disclosed by Pitt Tuesday, pertains to a campaign that began several years back, one in which the United Steelworkers petitioned the PLRB for an election based on card campaign numbers showing at least 30% of the potential bargaining unit supported the organizing initiative.
The election, held in April 2019 over four days, did not yield the needed votes, falling 39 short, but the Steelworkers and students involved in the campaign appealed and cited actions by management that potentially impacted the decision. Ultimately, a ruling issued by the board concluded that management moves, notably within the school of engineering, were not enough to affect the election result.
The board’s final ruling upheld that decision. In a statement Tuesday, Pitt spokesman David Seldin noted the latest ruling and said, “As always, the University remains deeply committed to supporting graduate and professional students, as seen in our support of students who have been affected by the global pandemic.’’
Officials with the Steelworkers said Wednesday:
“The USW is already in the process of appealing this decision, as we firmly believe that interference from the administration tainted the graduate workers’ election
process,” read a statement released by spokeswoman Jess Kamm. “Graduate workers deserve what all workers at Pitt deserve — a free and fair election and a voice in the decisions that affect their workplace. We will continue to fight for them for as long as it takes.”
The statement did not indicate where the appeal has been filed. In 2019, though, the Department of Labor and Industry, which includes the Labor Relations Board, told the Post-Gazette a ruling from the PLRB could be appealed to the Commonwealth Court, and ultimately the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
In the April 2019 voting, the graduate assistants voted against representation, by a margin of 39 votes.
The United Steelworkers later sought a new election, alleging that Pitt had engaged in unfair labor practices. Among the allegations, the union organizers said a group of graduate assistants in the chemical engineering department had received an email that attempted to persuade them against casting a vote.
The state’s labor board found Pitt had engaged in unfair practices but ruled recently that the impact on eligible voters would not have been great enough to change the results of the election.
In a separate campaign, the Steelworkers are seeking to unionize faculty. An election approved by labor officials is currently underway.