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WHEREAS, non-profit intuitions of higher education are granted various benefits by the public in exchange for those institutions providing high-quality instructional and research services to the public; and,
WHEREAS, the University of Pittsburgh is publicly subsidized as part of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education; and,
WHEREAS, the University of Pittsburgh is the second largest employer in Allegheny County with 6,600 faculty members and 2,500 graduate employees; and,
WHEREAS, all faculty and graduate employees at the University of Pittsburgh should be provided with institutional support sufficient for them to carry out their vital role as educators of the University's students, and should be paid fair wages and benefits that allow them to support themselves and their families; and,
WHEREAS, two-thirds of all faculty are in precarious non-tenure track positions, and many non-tenure track faculty members and graduate employees are paid wages which range from below to slightly above the federal poverty threshold; and,
WHEREAS, non-tenure track faculty and graduate employees are often forced to take on multiple jobs and/or to rely on public subsidies like Medicare, CHIP, WIC, community food banks and food stamps in order to survive; and,
WHEREAS, the faculty and the graduate employees have each taken up organizing to build unions at the University of Pittsburgh to address these issues and to address the lack of transparency in university operations, the need for increased diversity, and the lack of real protections against harassment and discrimination free of retaliation; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh:
1) Strongly endorses the efforts of the Pitt Faculty Organizing Committee and the Graduate Student Organizing Committee at the University of Pittsburgh;
2) Encourages the University of Pittsburgh not use public funds or tuition dollars to conduct anti-union activities;
3) Encourages the Unive...
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