By SHANNON O. WELLS

The issues surrounding faculty and staff access to and fees for the new Recreation and Wellness Center aren’t going away.

At the Nov. 13 Senate Council meeting, reports from Staff Council and the University’s Postdoctoral Association (UPPDA) addressed concerns about the new fee structure. In addition, the Pitt Staff Union continues to negotiate for access for those in the bargaining unit, and the faculty union president said the fees and access should have been negotiated for his bargaining unit members.

Caitlin McCullough, Staff Council parliamentarian, said council members were “certainly excited to hear of the long-awaited announcement” regarding access for eligible staff, postdocs and faculty, and that they “appreciate the tiered cost structure.” Employees earning less than $50,000 annually will pay $35 per month; those earning more than $50,000 will pay $45.

However, she added that “we remain disappointed that there is not a free gym or pool option,” noting that Staff Council has “received many questions over access” in the past four years. As a result, the group has “encouraged staff to take advantage of other free health and wellness resources.”

McCullough reminded those enrolled in the UPMC health plan who work hybrid/remote schedules and looking for options “that are more cost effective or closer to home,” the Active&Fit Direct memberships are $28 a month and can be used at several gyms.

Along similar lines, during her report to Senate Council, Jessica Nuwer, UPPDA executive board president, said the organization continues to field questions and concerns related to Recreation and Wellness Center access and fees.

“I’m sure we’re all getting tired of hearing about concerns, but I must voice them. While postdocs are grateful for the ability to finally purchase memberships to the new center, they’re very unhappy about the membership fee,” she said, noting the higher fees for faculty and staff earning $50,000 or more per year.

“Yes, postdocs are employees who make more than $50,000 a year. However, we’re also a unique and often undervalued part of Pitt’s community.”

Compared to other employees, Nuwer noted, postdocs face “higher job insecurity. We receive fewer benefits. We don’t get retirement matching, and some of us also have limited access to things like (Flexible Spending Accounts) FSAs and Pitt Perks. We weren’t included in the planning process for the new center either,” she said.

“This inconsistency and exclusion has really only heightened our frustration about paying $540 a year for something that was once free, especially when postdocs at other public universities often pay half of that amount or less.”

For many postdocs, fitness facility access “isn’t just about fitness,” she added. “It’s about mental well-being. It’s about stress reduction — and especially after … sometimes very, very long hours in the lab.

“And we understand that the membership fees are used to support the long-term sustainability of the center — and that even students need to chip in to it — but we believe that Pitt could further demonstrate its commitment to equity, inclusiveness and the well-being of all who contribute to its excellence by at least offering discounted memberships to postdocs.”

Nuwer went on to invite an “open and constructive dialog” with the University to discuss the “feasibility of this possible solution,” she said.

Jen Goeckeler-Fried, chair of the staff union bargaining committee, said they have told the administration that “we felt like staff should still have the opportunity to use facilities on campus for free, but they refuse to entertain that counter proposal, and so we need to continue those discussions. And we filed a charge with the (Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board) because we feel like that was a status quo violation.”

During contract negotiations, which are now in their 11th month between the staff union and administration, employers are not allowed to unilaterally make changes to the status quo of employees’ salary, benefits and other terms and conditions of employment without consent from the union.

Those in the staff union bargaining unit are not eligible to get memberships at the rec center until their access is negotiated in the contract.

The Pitt Faculty Union also maintains that rec center access should be a subject of bargaining, according to Tyler Bickford, president of the union. The union filed a grievance saying the unilateral change to access violates their contract. Bickford said they’re willing to negotiate on this topic, but the University has not agreed to that.

Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu. University Times editor Susan Jones also contributed to this report.

 

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