2015: A Year in Solidarity The ‘New Pittsburgh’ enjoys national acclaim. Hardly a week Pittsburgh United is a coalition of goes by without a news outlet lauding the renaissance of our former community, labor, faith, and steel town through an established “Eds and Meds” economy, a environmental organizations burgeoning technology sector, or a profile of the city’s livability committed to advancing the vision through the lens of the latest hot neighborhood. In this landscape, of a community and economy Pittsburgh United strives to advance social and economic justice in that work for all people. We aspire our region by ensuring that working families and low- and to create a community where all moderate-income communities share in the prosperity generated workers are able to care for by our rapid economic growth and development. themselves and raise their families, sharing in the prosperity Through collective struggle, our coalition and campaigns build generated by economic growth power for working class people. By supporting the organizing and development. of hospital workers, adjunct professors, and downtown security guards, we have helped over 5,000 workers join the union this year, Our past and current campaigns the most workers per capita out of any city in the United States. have positioned us to forward an With the passage of Paid Sick Days legislation, over 50,000 working organizing strategy and policy class people in Pittsburgh will also have the ability to earn Paid Sick agenda to make that vision a Days. reality. We are constantly developing organizing, education, advocacy, and communications Our coalition has won – by the most conservative strategies to fight and win estimates – more than $59 million in wages, benefits, progressive policy campaigns that and community investment this year alone. ensure sustainable communities, raise standards for low-wage workers, and harness economic Pittsburgh United and its coalition partners have fought for social development and public and economic justice and won many significant gains with the investment for community benefit. residents who need it the most. In 2016, our organizing strategy and policy agenda will continue to move our communities forward by lifting up all residents of Pittsburgh. Our city was built on the backs of working class people and labor unions. Pittsburgh United demonstrates, time and again, that support for workers’ struggles and magnifying the public voice for family sustaining wages and benefits builds our community and economy. Organizing Victories in the New Economy Improved Wages and Benefits From the hot kitchens of fast food establishments New forms of worker organizing are rising up to the classrooms of our universities, workers in the alongside the new economy, with workers coming new economy are fighting together in the streets, together both with and without a union to fight for building collective power, and seeing their improved wages and a voice at work: struggles translate into victories across the city: • Hospital Workers Rising unites tens of • Hundreds of people took to the streets with thousands of workers for a $15 industry fast food workers on strike for $15 and a union minimum, great care for all patients, and access during massive rallies in April and November. to all hospitals for everyone. This movement led Workers were then joined by Mayor Peduto to to 1,500 hospital workers at Allegheny General announce wage increases to $15 for city hospital overwhelmingly voting to form their workers and contractors in the coming years. union. • In response to workers organizing across the country, the Capital Grille raised its wages for • Over 1,000 adjunct faculty at CCAC voted to food runners from $2.83/hour + tips to $7.25/ join the American Federation of Teachers Local hour + tips, giving a significantraise to over 2067, the first union in the area made up of both 2,000 restaurant workers. full-time and part-time faculty. Hundreds more • Workers at UPMC continue to build their voice adjuncts at Point Park University won the first at work and their fight for improved wages, and ever union contract for adjuncts in Pittsburgh the right to form their union without with the support of the United Steelworkers. interference. This organizing has resulted in a • Over 90 percent of workers at Conflict Kitchen, $2 per hour increase in the start rate at all city a restaurant at Carnegie Mellon University, hospitals as well as raises for service workers. voted to join the United Food & Commercial • Thousands of janitors won a new contract with Workers (UFCW) Local 23 and are now bargain- SEIU 32BJ that succeeded in raising wages and ing for $15 an hour in their first contract. Nearly health benefits to one of the highest levels in 100 workers at the East End Coop voted to join the country for commercial cleaners. the United Electrical Workers (UE). • The United Steelworkers successfully won new • The final victory of the year was one of the contracts for thousands of workers at U.S. biggest, with over 1,000 security guards in Steel. With strong community support, the fight Pittsburgh forming a union for the first time with continues for a fair contract for the 2,000 SEIU 32BJ. They then went on to win their first steelworkers locked out of Allegheny contract with increased wages and benefits that Technologies (ATI) since August. will end poverty wages for these workers. Our struggles to support working class people extended well beyond the walls of the workplace. Key victories for paid sick days and affordable housing highlighted the power of workers and neighbors standing together for safe, affordable, and strong communities. Paid Sick Days Legislation Passes: A Victory for Workers and Public Health We want fries on our sandwiches, not the flu! This was the rallying cry of over 25 women’s health, labor, faith and community organizations that came together last summer to fight for and win legislation mandating that nearly every worker in Pittsburgh have the right to earn paid sick time. Low wage workers without paid sick days have to choose between going to work sick and staying the coalition will not stop fighting. We will work home and losing a day’s pay. When they then go with the City to appeal this case until the courts to work sick, they have an increased risk of recognize our right to protect the public health of infecting their co-workers and customers. our City. The Paid Sick Days coalition spent the summer in neighborhoods across the city talking to residents Community Campaigns and gathering thousands of petition signatures, holding a series of rallies at City Council and in Through public action, the Penn Plaza Residents council members’ districts, and working with City Council and Action United have successfully Council members to get the best bill possible for brought the issue of displacement of low income working class people. These efforts culminated residents to the forefront of the regional dialogue. with the bill overwhelmingly passing City Council In response, the Mayor and the Urban Rede- on August 3rd. velopment Authority have committed up to $1 million to prevent the displacement of Penn Plaza Even though the Restaurant Association has filed residents from East Liberty. a successful lawsuit to overturn this legislation, The Clean Rivers Campaign, a multi-year effort to fundamentally shift our region’s sewer investment to maximize green infrastructure and community benefits, gathered thousands of community petition signatures in support of a Customer Assistance Program (CAP) that will help low-income residents maintain access to clean water and sewage treatment. This work resulted in ALCOSAN announcing the creation of a CAP and dedicating $30 million to fund the program. Pittsburgh United Board Organizations: Pittsburgh United is affiliated with The Partnership for Working Families, a national network of 17 leading regional advocacy organizations that support innovative solutions to our nation’s economic and environmental challenges. Join our mailing list to get involved in fights to raise up working class people in Pittsburgh! Contact: [email protected] Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/PittsburghUNITED Follow us on Twitter: @PghUNITED Pittsburgh United - 841 California Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Pittsburgh United is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.