Pitt spends $3 million to fight against teacher, student unionization
The University of Pittsburgh’s (Pitt) anti-union efforts recently surpassed $3 million as tensions between the school and pro-union faculty members continue.
In 2009 Pitt’s Office of University Counsel made their first payment to 'union avoidance' law firm Ballard Spahr in response to unionization attempts from students and faculty.
The University of Pittsburgh’s (Pitt) anti-union efforts recently surpassed $3 million as tensions between the school and pro-union faculty members continue.
According to The Pitt News, in 2009 Pitt’s Office of University Counsel made their first payment to “union avoidance” law firm Ballard Spahr in response to unionization attempts from both staff members and graduate students.
Pitt has reportedly spent over $3 million on the firm’s services since 2016.
[RELATED: Graduate students want to unionize]
“The University regularly works with outside counsel to expand capacity and leverage specific areas of expertise, including intellectual property, contracts and international trade,” a university spokesperson told The Pitt News, the university’s student-run newspaper.
Will Allison, a student at Pitt and member of Pittsburgh College Democrats, called out his university for prioritizing the wrong things.
“If Pitt took half the effort it puts into fighting its own staff and students into running the university well, we wouldn’t have Pitt students having to stay in [Carlow University] dorms and hotels and classes constantly over capacity,” Allison told Campus Reform.
Pitt’s latest union-related event took place last semester, when members of the school’s faculty union staged a protest.
As previously reported by Campus Reform, over 150 people gathered to protest the university for allegedly “delaying negotiations.”
During the protest, faculty members sang the lyrics “Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong” to the tune of “Glory, Glory Hallelujah.”
An anonymous Pitt student referred to the protest as “a tad insulting” since “they chose such a God-filled and patriotic song’s tune to protest to, especially considering how liberal Pitt is.”
Campus Reform reached out to every individual and institution mentioned for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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