First Agreement with University Provides Pay Increases, Job Security
Contact: R.J. Hufnagel, (412) 562-2450, rhufnagel@usw.org
PITTSBURGH (Nov. 5) – Members of the Adjunct Faculty Association of the United Steelworkers (AFA-USW) voted overwhelmingly to ratify the union’s first contract with Point Park University in downtown Pittsburgh.
AFA-USW members voted to approve the agreement by a 93 percent margin. The vote was conducted by mail.
The 3½-year agreement provides for a 23 percent wage increase over the course of the contract, along with job security and academic freedom protections as well as grievance and arbitration procedures. The contract also provides, for the first time, payments to instructors whose classes are unexpectedly cancelled on short notice. The contract covers more than 300 part-time professors.
“This agreement is a victory for the instructors as well as the students at Point Park University,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “This contract will enhance the quality of life for the teachers and, in turn, will improve the quality of education for the students they serve.”
The instructors voted overwhelmingly in June 2014 to join the AFA-USW, and bargaining with the university began in December.
“We look forward to continuing a cooperative relationship with the university administration and building on the progress we’ve made with this contract,” said instructor Sharon Brady, who has taught theater arts at the university for 14 years.
The AFA-USW also represents adjunct instructors at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and Robert Morris University in Moon. The Point Park group is the first in the area to reach an agreement.
The USW is the largest industrial union in North America, representing workers in a range of industries including metals, mining, rubber, paper and forestry, oil refining, health care, security, hotels, and municipal governments and agencies.
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