Support From Environmental Conservation Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

November 12, 2020

UMass union leaders received a letter of support from the UMass Amherst Department of Environmental Conservation Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

“We stand in solidarity with all UMass Amherst staff members impacted by recent layoffs and furloughs related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

The committee urged that furloughs be used only as a last resort, for UMass administration to apply furloughs equitably across all workers, and for UMass Administration to negotiate in good faith and provide increased transparency.

Support Furloughed Colleagues!

October 16, 2020

This Monday is a tough day at the Amherst campus—the first day of indefinite furlough and severe hours reductions for almost 100 of our PSU colleagues. We need to show our solidarity with our co-workers and make sure their suffering is not invisible.

The PSU Amherst Campaign Committee is calling on all members to take one or both of these actions on Monday:

Help protect housing in MA!

October 14, 2020

The housing crisis in MA is about to get worse--the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expires this week. This moratorium has helped keep 100,000 plus families in their homes during this crisis, and since the crisis is far from over, we need that moratorium to continue.

Unions Stave Off UMass Amherst Layoffs

September 15, 2020

UMass Amherst pulled back its threat to lay off approximately 450 workers after two unions representing thousands of campus employees mounted an aggressive organizing and activism campaign.

Workers charge UMass with attempting unlawful job cuts

September 10, 2020

Faced with the threat of hundreds of unjustified job cuts, two unions representing thousands of employees at UMass Amherst have filed charges with state labor officials, claiming that the university administration is failing in its obligation to negotiate alternatives to massive layoffs.

Union to Chancellor: Slow Down, You Have Choices

September 7, 2020

Today, the Amherst Chapter of the Professional Staff Union, MTA/NEA, representing 1,400 workers at UMass Amherst, released this statement addressing Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy's turn towards threats of layoffs and forced furloughs.

Board of Trustees Cuts System Budget

July 21, 2020

July 20, 2020, PSU President Anneta Argyres asked the Board of Trustees to fully fund higher education, instead they voted to institute a $171,000,000 budget cut. Read Anneta's full statement to the Board of Trustees and President Meehan online

Also check out the PSU Facebook page!

PSU Pulse: Boston: Demanding a Safe and Equitable Fall

July 13, 2020

Demanding a Safe and Equitable Fall

The PSU has been working with other unions across UMass and across all of public higher education to demand that our Commonwealth ensure that our campuses are fully funded so that all workers and programs can continue, and that we can continue to do our work safely. You can read the MTA’s statement online.

Recent Resources for PSU members

July 10, 2020

Here are some useful resources for our PSU members.

PSU UMass Amherst Letter of Solidarity with Graduate Employee Organization (GEO)

May 13, 2020

Statement of Solidarity with the Graduate Workers of GEO UAW 2322 by the Amherst Chapter of Professional Staff Union, MTA, NEA

"As professional staff workers at UMass Amherst, we stand in solidarity with the graduate workers of GEO as they struggle with economic and employment insecurity, and evictions from university-owned housing. Graduate workers are crucial to the function of our university, and our university must take all steps necessary to assist them in their struggles against hunger, loss of housing, and loss of school status.

News

Demanding a Safe and Equitable Fall