Welcome to the Professional Staff Union. Our goal is to build a union that reflects the needs and desires of our members and connects those to the needs and desires of 100,000 other public education employees throughout Massachusetts.
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Membership Information & Payroll Deduction Forms
Unit A Rates
- Full Time Member = $892.40 yearly or $34.32 per paycheck.
- Three-Quarters Time = $720.30 or $27.70 per paycheck.
- Half-Time Member = $457.70 yearly or $17.60 per paycheck. (Half-Time is 20 hours or less.)
Unit B Rates
- Full time = $609.90 yearly, $23.46 per pay
- Part time = $316.70 yearly, $12.18 per pay
PSU Budget
The PSU 2024 and past year budgets are available. Go to All Documents.
Become a Union Member
Benefits that we have won though contract negotiation (and which we keep working to defend and extend every time we negotiate) include:
- Vision and dental coverage premiums that are paid through employer contributions;
- Extended Family and Medical Leave;
- A sick bank for members to use in case of personal or family illness, and to ensure that all parents have a 6 month parental leave;
- A minimum of 20 days vacation a year, plus paid holidays, personal and sick time;
- Tuition waivers for staff, spouses and dependent children.
Union Membership
As a UMass professional staff member, you are encouraged to join the 95% of your colleagues who belong to the Professional Staff Union. Benefits won in the union contract apply to — and the union is legally required to represent — all professional union staff, even if they are not union members. But the union's effectiveness derives from its members. We do better in bargaining and in resolving workplace problems when management knows everyone supports PSU. We may take our good benefits for granted, but our predecessors in PSU worked hard to win one of the best sick leave banks anywhere, comp time, a transparent job classification and salary administration program, and so much more. The Massachusetts Teachers Association, of which we are a part, fights to defend public education, keep college costs down, stop privatization, advocate for racial and economic justice, and improve the lives of all workers. It's our union dues that support all of this.
Union members also have access to a range of additional benefits not available to non-members. Below is a comparison .
This information is available as PDF from the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
Union members | Non-members |
Are covered by the union contract; can get help from union with contractual matters |
Are covered by the union contract; can get help from union with contractual matters |
Can participate in all PSU votes |
Cannot vote at membership meetings, union elections or contract ratifications |
Can serve on PSU committees and help set the union’s priorities. |
Cannot participate in setting union priorities or hold union office |
Are covered by $1M insurance policy which protects against lawsuits connected with your employment |
No |
Get MTA group purchasing discounts on auto, homeowners and life insurance, mortgage refinancing, tax preparation, gym memberships and more |
No |
Get MTA discounts on admission to over 1,000 museums, theaters, stores, sports events, ski areas and more |
No |
Can get free legal advice and representation for employment discrimination, unemployment, retirement, civil rights violations, privacy issues, workers’ compensation |
No |
Can get help with legal costs incurred in defending against alleged employment-related legal charges |
No |
Get reduced-fee legal services for non-employment problems |
No |