Pitt graduate student workers gathered for a rally and march Tuesday to urge a response from the University regarding their demands.<\/p>\n
About 60 members of the Pitt Graduate Workers Union<\/a> held a rally on Oct. 27 outside and in Posvar Hall to compel the University back to the bargaining table. Their demands include better wages, stipends and improved healthcare coverage.<\/p>\n In an opening speech, Alisa Omelchenko, a fifth-year computational biology graduate student and member of the bargaining committee, said the union has been engaged in active bargaining for the last two years. The union hasn\u2019t received a counter-proposal for the economic proposal they submitted two months ago, Omelchenko said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have shown up, and we have put proposals on the table. We are ready to bargain. So where\u2019s Pitt?\u201d Omelchenko said into her megaphone in front of the crowd. Omelchenko also accused Pitt of undermining the union.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFrom bullying graduate workers for talking about the union to delaying our union election, this administration has repeatedly stood in the way of graduate workers fighting for their rights,\u201d Omelchenko said.<\/p>\n After each of Omelchenko\u2019s condemnations, the crowd chanted, \u201cShame! Shame!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Pitt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n L\u1ef1c Ta, a second-year graduate student in the math department and union member, condemned the University\u2019s hesitancy to reciprocate in the bargaining process and made clear the rally\u2019s purpose to spur their counterparts into action.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here to show the administration we mean business. We\u2019re here to show them they can\u2019t hide,\u201d Ta said.\u00a0<\/p>\n During their march in and through Posvar, the crowd shouted chants affirming the solidarity of their union, including \u201cOur union, united, will never be divided!\u201d and others calling out specific University staff members in \u201cGabel, Gabel, get your ass to the table!\u201d and \u201cBob Parker, you can\u2019t hide, we can see your greedy side!\u201d<\/p>\n The march followed Ta\u2019s direction, drawing the eyes and ears of those in Posvar and the presence of two police officers. The crowd regrouped outside the South Bouquet entrance and closed the rally by singing the 1915 trade union anthem \u201cSolidarity Forever<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Ernest Wallace, a fifth-year physics and astronomy graduate student and member of the bargaining committee, summarized the union\u2019s demands as looking for fair compensation, benefits and protections in the workplace. Wallace reiterated the rally\u2019s purpose to bring the University\u2019s attention back to the bargaining table after two months without a response.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s up to them to come back to us, but we had a strong turnout today. We\u2019ve shown them that we have a bunch of support on our side, and we have a strong motivation,\u201d Wallace said.<\/p>\n Ramakrishna Suresh, a fifth-year chemical engineering PhD student, cited changes in health insurance benefits as one of his key issues. Suresh said at the beginning of the 2023 fall semester, the health insurance plan offered to grad workers was reduced in scope of coverage, leading to higher costs for himself and others.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the basic visits and stuff like that are now six to seven times more expensive. I know a lot of people who were in the middle of the treatment \u2014 I was also in the middle of the one \u2014 and suddenly [\u2026] this is what it costs now. I had to stop my treatment abruptly. That was one of the big things that pushed a lot of people [to participate in the union],\u201d Suresh said.<\/p>\n After the march, Ta repeated the union\u2019s demands for the University to respond to proposals including stipends and healthcare, and criticized their deficiencies in the bargaining process.<\/p>\n \u201cThe administration is not coming to sessions prepared, we\u2019re not working as frequently as we would like,\u201d Ta said. \u201cOften, the administration does not have counterproposals prepared to be discussed during their sessions. We\u2019ve seen these stalling tactics before from the administration when it took them months to book a room for us to have our union election back in 2024.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n