In snowy conditions, Pitt service workers rallied on the corner of Bigelow Boulevard and Forbes Avenue to demand better pay and health care benefit packages on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, <\/a>\u00a0which represents around 400 employees at Pitt including movers, cleaners and grounds crew, is currently negotiating a new union contract. Bargaining began in early February to follow their current one-year contract that ends in March.<\/a> Tuesday morning\u2019s rally had around 45 attendees and was followed by a second rally in the afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a SEIU Local 32BJ press release, cleaners at Pitt make $21.95 per hour while cleaners at Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon University make over $22 per hour, with some upper-level cleaning positions paying over $23 per hour.<\/p>\n According to the press release, workers believe the University\u2019s proposed 1% raise does not accommodate the price of groceries, gas and other necessities. Tim Finucan, Pennsylvania state director and vice president of SEIU Local 32BJ, said the previous contract was short because of federal funding concerns, but now is the time to direct attention back to workers and their wages.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFortunately, Pitt is being spared, so the focus should be on offering a competitive and fair contract to the workers who are the foundation of this university,\u201d Finucan said in the press release.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pete Schmidt, the Western Pennsylvania district director for SEIU Local 32BJ, said union leadership has only done two negotiating sessions with the University as of Feb. 24. In future negotiations, Schmidt said he\u2019s hoping for a satisfactory counteroffer from the University in response to the union\u2019s demands for higher raises.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not satisfied with the offer that\u2019s on the table,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cWe\u2019ve made some movement, and we hope to see better movement on the University\u2019s part.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n University spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said the University is \u201cgrateful\u201d for SEIU Local 32BJ employees\u2019 contributions to the Pitt community and described them as a \u201ccritical part of the University\u2019s campus operations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have continued to negotiate in good faith over the past few weeks and will meet again on Feb. 25,\u201d Stonesifer said.<\/p>\n Albert Simon, an employee in facilities, said he finds it \u201churtful\u201d that the University is paying him and other employees lower wages compared to other universities in the area. He wants a raise that will align with the current cost of living.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEverybody understands that money can be tight, but you have to still be fair to your [workers],\u201d Simon said.<\/p>\n Kevin Craig, a custodian who\u2019s worked at Pitt for over 10 years, said he has to work more than one job and\u00a0 is fighting for higher wages because the cost of living is increasing.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m working three jobs just to make it right now, so they need to get on the ball and step up to the plate,\u201d Craig said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pamela Rall-Johnston, a janitor who\u2019s been at Pitt for 34 years, said the custodial staff is working \u201call the time\u201d and deserves better than a 1% raise, especially considering recent increased enrollment<\/a> and raises for upper management.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBuildings are going up, but they\u2019re going to tell us that we\u2019re not worth the 1% raise or better?\u201d Rall-Johnston said. \u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous. We work hard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Demonstrators also raised concerns about their benefits packages, which include health care. Jason Kiley, who\u2019s been a custodian for Pitt since 2012, said he recently had to go through his insurance provider to get medication and could not afford it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that University pays a significant portion of our health care, but I\u2019m paying $300 plus a month just to keep my three-person family insured, on top of a $600 deductible, on top of co-pay, on top of prescription drugs,\u201d Kiley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The staff and graduate student unions recently<\/a> ended a monthslong negotiation that resulted in a 2.5% raise without health care costs rising.\u00a0<\/p>\n