After months of bargaining for standard wage increases, the University of Pittsburgh Staff and Graduate Student Union members received a 2.5% raise in December.<\/p>\n
The Pitt Staff Union<\/a> came to an agreement with the University in a Memorandum of Understanding<\/a> that included a 2.5% raise for employees, a raise bargaining unit members will receive in backpayment from Aug. 1, 2025. The MOU also included staff access to the Recreation and Wellness Center with a $35 to $45 membership, depending on salary.\u00a0<\/p>\n In May 2025,<\/a> the University presented a proposal to increase staff wages by 2.5% alongside health care costs. The staff union chose to bargain against these changes, according to Jen Goeckler-Fried, Staff Union bargaining chair and Brodsky lab manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n A June 9 update on the staff union website stated the University would increase health and dental insurance premiums by 8%, alongside increases to co-payments and costs in other parts of the plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n The graduate student bargaining unit similarly worked towards a 2.5% raise with a proposal submission in July according to Lauren Wewer, bargaining chair for the Graduate Student Union and materials science engineering student.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Graduate Student Union reached a raise-based MOU with the University in December for a 2.5% stipend increase retroactive to Sept. 1, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Goeckler-Fried said the staff union raise was a \u201cwin\u201d since it didn\u2019t come with increased health care costs, but it wasn\u2019t enough to make ends meet for many staff members. The Staff Union is still bargaining and is looking for larger raises in their final contract.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, a 2.5% raise doesn\u2019t even keep up with inflation<\/a>,\u201d Goeckler-Fried said. \u201cWe know that staff deserve more, but at least we were able to secure these 2.5% raises without increased health care costs for now, in this interim period.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Kearsten Adams, an academic advisor at Pitt-Greensburg and member of the staff bargaining committee, said she was appreciative of the raise, but it wasn\u2019t enough to make a large financial difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI make less than $40,000 a year, so a 2.5% raise is under $1,000,\u201d Adams said. \u201cWhile I\u2019m thankful for any raise, when the cost of living and groceries are so high, it\u2019s just not going to make that much of a difference in my quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n Non-represented staff members received a 2.5% raise with increased health care costs in the summer,<\/a> while bargaining unit members turned down the increased health care costs alongside the raise. The union instead decided to fight for their raise instead of accepting the increase in health care that came with the 2.5% salary bump.<\/p>\n Staff members in the bargaining unit will receive backpay starting Aug. 1, 2025, to help \u201coffset\u201d increased health care costs that non-represented staff had to face, according to University\u00a0 spokesperson Jared Stonesifer.<\/p>\n According to Wewer, the raise was necessary for many graduate student bargaining unit members \u2014 especially for some who couldn\u2019t afford groceries<\/a> or other needs. Wewer said graduate workers \u201cmade their frustration known\u201d by holding rallies during the bargaining period and visiting Provost McCarthy\u2019s office hours to express concerns.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe heard from a lot of our members [after the December raise announcement], like, \u2018Oh my gosh. I can actually stay in my apartment throughout the lease, I don\u2019t have to move now in the middle of a semester because I can\u2019t afford rent,\u2019\u201d Wewer said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Monica Leys, a physics and astronomy graduate student, teaching fellow and organizer, is hoping for a pay increase that goes beyond inflation adjustment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure that when we actually solidify our contract, we\u2019re getting not only the bare minimum on time, but something that\u2019s actually livable and keeps up with the economy, amongst other things,\u201d Leys said.<\/p>\n The 2.5% increase for Graduate and Staff Unions was announced within days of the news of Chancellor Joan Gabel\u2019s 30% raise.<\/a> Gabel said that she\u2019ll donate her raise to students, staff and faculty through various scholarships and funds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Adams, one of the staff union\u2019s original organizers, said the chancellor\u2019s raise was \u201cpoor timing\u201d after the staff\u2019s fight for a raise since May.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat really kind of took away from our success and it made everyone question why we couldn\u2019t have more when the chancellor and other administrators got such large raises,\u201d Adams said.\u00a0<\/p>\n