Pittsburgh United | Unions and Neighborhoods Invested in Transforming Economic Development

Contact Information

841 California Avenue
Third Floor
Pittsburgh
PA
15212
412-231-8648
boursler@msn.com
http://www.pittsburghunited.org

Our Mission

Pittsburgh UNITED strives to advance social and economic justice in the Pittsburgh region by working to ensure that working families and low and moderate-income communities are able to share in the prosperity that is generated by economic growth and development.

Our Issues

Pittsburgh UNITED develops and supports campaigns that address social inequality at its root causes.  CBA's can be an effective mechanism for winning concrete benefits for not only poor and working-class neighborhoods but also for our local economy as a whole.  In addition to campaigning around specific CBA campaigns, Pittsburgh UNITED engages in coalition work and advocacy around our core issues.  

Our Impact

Pittsburgh UNITED staffed the successful One Hill CBA Coalition in its two year struggle with the developers of a new hockey arena winning the first CBA in Pennsylvania in 2008. The CBA includes local hiring for union construction and permanent jobs in all development relating to the arena, a community controlled human services fund ($6 million), new grocery store and community center and community control of the master plan for that section of the city.

In 2010 the organization passed city and county legislation requiring all publically subsidized development pay 'Prevailing Wages' for permanent service jobs in hotel, grocery store, food service and building maintenance industries. In July the coalition won passage of a city Clean Water bill requiring that publically subsidized development meet Federal standards dramatically reducing storm water runoff. A Clean Air bill was passed in 2011requiring that construction diesel engines be retrofitted with the best available technology.

News Articles

Paid Sick Days Advocates Prevail in Pittsburgh

Heather Appel | July 18, 2019

Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Pittsburgh can require private employers to provide paid sick leave. The ruling turns back an industry challenge to Pittsburgh’s landmark law that provides paid sick leave to an estimated 50,000 low wage workers. 

State Interference Prevents Gender and Racial Equality

Heather Appel | May 7, 2019

In a new report released today, the Partnership for Working Families exposes the ways that state legislators, influenced by their corporate donors, perpetuate racial and gender inequity in housing and wages. The report, “For All of Us, By All of Us: Challenging State Interference to Advance Gender and Racial Justice,” examines case studies in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Tennessee and Louisiana that document the disproportionate consequences of preemption on women and women of color.

Community Activists in “shortlist” cities to Amazon: Negotiate with us, if you want to bring in HQ2

Heather Appel | April 10, 2018

April 9 - Activists from cities that have been placed on the “shortlist” for Amazon’s second headquarters will launch a series of actions this week, demanding that the company negotiate with communities that will be impacted by its effects on jobs, housing and public services. 

Historic CBA Signed in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh UNITED | August 28, 2008

One Hill CBA Campaign

One Hill Coalition Achieves Historic Milestone

Pittsburgh UNITED | May 18, 2008

By Tom Hoffman, Pittsburgh UNITED Executive Director

Pittsburgh UNITED Wins the Opportunity to Negotiate a CBA for N

Pittsburgh UNITED | March 21, 2008

By Natalie Greene, Pittsburgh UNITED Researcher

Two significant events coincided on March 14th on the 3rd Floor of the David L.

Employment Opportunities

  • Economic Justice Organizer

    Pittsburgh United is a coalition of community, labor, faith, and environmental organizations committed to building a community and economy that work for all people. The Economic Justice Organizer is responsible for leading and coordinating the Worker Organizing Table, which coordinates solidarity actions and builds strategic campaigns with progressive unions and community allies.

  • Operations Manager

    Pittsburgh United is a coalition of community, labor, faith, and environmental organizations committed to building a community and economy that works for all people. The Operations Manager will be responsible for all administrative systems to ensure effective and efficient financial and programmatic operations of the organization across multiple offices in Western PA.The ideal candidate is an extraordinarily organized, process- and solutions-oriented person who shares the values of the organization.

  • Canvass Director
  • Pittsburgh United - Executive Director

    Pittsburgh United is a coalition of community, labor, faith, and environmental organizations committed to building a community and economy that works for all people. We aspire to create a new social contract, whereby all workers can share in the prosperity generated by economic growth and development. We are seeking an Executive Director to bring effective, strategic, and unifying leadership to our collective work.

  • Digital Organizer

    Location: Southwestern Pennsylvania, Allegheny County preferred

    Reports to: Campaign Director

  • Civic Engagement Coordinator

    Pittsburgh United seeks a full time Civic Engagement Coordinator to join a dynamic team of organizers dedicated to increasing the power, voice, and leadership of working class people and families in Pittsburgh. The coordinator will manage Pittsburgh United’s non-partisan voter registration, persuasion, and GOTV work. The ideal candidate has a strong commitment to social, racial, and economic justice movements and labor unions, is results oriented, enjoys working with a team, and has a demonstrated ability to work with a diverse array of stakeholders.

  • Organizer

    Pittsburgh United seeks a full time organizer for the Pittsburgh region. The organizer will conduct outreach for Pittsburgh United campaigns, work with partner organizations and coalitions, communicate with faith leaders, individual workers and neighborhood residents, and plan and execute organizing campaigns/actions.

  • Campaign Coordinator

    The Campaign Coordinator will play a key role in forwarding the work of the Clean Rivers Campaign (for a description of the campaign, see page 3). The coordinator will be responsible for working with the Director of Strategic Campaigns and coalition partners to develop and execute strategies to win on the campaign’s issues. This will include planning and implementing ratepayer education, coordinating and overseeing public policy advocacy, and developing materials for the general public and coalition partners’ use on these issues. Much of the work in the campaign will be done by the campaign partners with the coordinator’s oversight. The ability to work closely with and support the leadership of others is therefore an essential skill.