Labor Rally at UMass Demands Fair Pay, Full Staffing, and Protection from Discrimination
Hundreds of members of the Professional Staff Union (PSU) at UMass marched from the Student Union to Commonwealth Avenue, on August 27 as part of a rally for a fair contract. Photo: PSU
Staff working conditions are students’ living and learning conditions; union calls on management to Stand Up for UMass
Source: Professional Staff Union (PSU)
Amid the climate of uncertainty and fear that has descended on university campuses across the US, members of the Professional Staff Union at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (PSU) staged a large labor rally on Wednesday, August 27 calling on the university’s administration to stand up for UMass by investing in the security and wellbeing of its entire campus community.
The Stand Up for UMass Rally happened on one of the busiest days of the academic year—move-in day for first-year students at UMass Amherst. At least 300 union members, led by a brass band, marched from the UMass Amherst Student Union to line Commonwealth Avenue, joined by unionists from AFSCME Local 1776, the Massachusetts Society of Professors, and the University Staff Association. “Hey Board of Trustees,” they cheered, “we won’t work for free!” Marchers, who carried signs saying “Fair Contract Now!” “Stand Up for UMass,” and “[Chancellor] Reyes, Do Your Job!,” were applauded and cheered by parents eager for their children to receive an education at the commonwealth’s premier institution of public higher education.
For more than a year, UMass has dragged out bargaining a new contract with the 2,400 members of PSU, which represents staff members at both the Amherst and Boston campuses and includes social workers, residence directors, and other staff throughout all areas of campus. PSU members point out that low pay, understaffing, and biased discipline at both campuses erode the institution’s responsibility to protect student welfare, provide the best possible education, and safeguard the future of the commonwealth.
“Too many of our members have to skip meals, have trouble paying for housing, put off medical care, or opt not to have children because our pay lags far behind what other comparable state employees make,” said Andrew Gorry, co-chair of PSU. “Too many face discipline biased by anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-BIPOC, and anti-disability views. UMass has trouble attracting qualified candidates, and can’t retain the ones it does manage to hire.”
Gorry pointed to the administration’s own Thematic Report: Research and Creative Activity, part of its larger 2024–34 strategic plan, which highlights “insufficient numbers of staff (and, in some cases, staff that are inadequately mentored or trained) to support all aspects of sponsored research” as the institution’s greatest weakness. The report furthermore notes that “inadequate career ladders for staff mean that experienced staff members leave units to pursue other opportunities, draining units of their knowledge and expertise,” and that “understaffed centers and institutes struggle to collaborate and compete for resources and limited visibility. Many centers remain isolated, and their leadership lacks the diversity present on campus.”
“How can UMass staff give the students their very best when they’re hungry, overworked, anxious about rent, and fear discrimination?” Gorry asked. “Our contract demands address all of these issues and would give professional staff a future at UMass.”
Nevertheless, UMass management has dragged out contract negotiations with the union for more than 13 months and has flatly refused to institute a salary system with automatic planned raises, or “steps,” which reward expertise and experience and are standard for most other state workers, claiming that it’s too expensive.
And yet, just six members of Provost Fouad Abd-El-Khalick’s leadership team were recently given promotions that came with raises totaling $283,000, according to CTHRU, the state’s open-access payroll database—an amount that would fund proposed step raises for almost 95 PSU members.
“UMass has the money,” said Nellie Taylor, chair of PSU’s organizing committee, “but instead of investing it to benefit the common good, they’re hoarding it among the highest paid administrators.”
Beyond an equitable pay scale, PSU is also bargaining for a myriad of protections for its members, including legal funds for immigrant members, continued access to gender-affirming care amid a changing federal landscape, and new systems to address biased discipline. UMass management has repeatedly rejected these proposals, and offered little in their place.
“In this unprecedented moment of assault upon higher education,” Taylor continued, “when students, faculty, and staff are all worried about their safety, academic freedom, and economic security, we need our campus leaders to stand up and make clear commitments to protect everyone, especially the most marginalized members of our community.”
“We are fighting for what our students and families deserve,” Gorry said: “A workforce that is secure, and respected, and able to give UMass students the best possible experience.”
More information: A fact-sheet about PSU and the basics of contract bargaining can be found here.
