CONTACT: R.J. Hufnagel: (412) 562-2450, rhufnagel@usw.org
Adjunct faculty members at Point Park University, who are members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union, have reached a tentative contract settlement with the downtown Pittsburgh school.
The new three-year contract, if ratified by the members of USW Local 1088, would include wage increases each semester through Spring 2022, along with a number of other contractual improvements that the faculty sought. The previous contract expired on Aug. 1.
The agreement, which covers about 340 adjunct faculty members at Point Park, came after several high-profile public events in support of the instructors, including the distribution of educational leaflets to students and family members when they arrived on campus on Aug. 19.
“The faculty owes a debt of gratitude to the wonderful students and families of Point Park, as well as the full-time faculty for their unwavering support,” said Damon Di Cicco, president of Local 1088 and an adjunct faculty member in the university’s journalism department.
Adjunct faculty members teach roughly half of the classes at the university. The university’s full-time faculty is also unionized, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
The faculty members will hold informational meetings and ratification votes over the next several weeks.
“This contract represents a victory for the faculty, but more importantly for quality education at Point Park,” said Local 1088 Vice President Sharon Brady. “Faculty working conditions have a direct impact on students’ learning conditions, so this agreement represents a step forward for everyone involved.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers in North America employed in many industries that include metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and the service and public sectors.