“Still Life with a Lobster” by Jan Davidsz from Toledo Museum of Art

By Alexis Ali, Professional Staff Union (PSU) Communications Committee

(Note from the University Staff Association (USA): This editorial, originally posted by PSU is being shared to USA’s website as part of the campus-wide unions’ continuing  collective bargaining efforts towards fair contract. You can follow more of PSU’s content on Instagram.)

Contract bargaining is in full swing for both units of PSU. If you have been one of the silent bargaining representatives present for Unit A bargaining or a testifier for Unit B bargaining, you already know just how condescending and invalidating Management’s position has been regarding our salaries, working conditions, employee benefits, etc. 

One part of bargaining for this new contract that those of you in Unit A may not have been privy to is the plight of the union members in Unit B who work as Assistant Food Managers (AFMs). These hard-working folks make up nearly a third of PSU Unit B and are responsible for the vast majority of food purchasing and supervision in UMass’ dining halls, retail, and catering locations.

UMass Amherst is recognized by the Princeton Review as the Best Campus Food in the nation for the seventh year in a row because of our assistant food managers, yet Management treats them abysmally. Often taking on not only their responsibilities, but those of a purchaser, receiver, cook, shift supervisor, and a culinary worker, AFMs work long hours with too much demand for them to take regular breaks⎯if any. On top of that, the university has refused (or failed) to hire additional staff members to meet the needs of these teams, making it nearly impossible for AFMs to take time off work when needed—even for medical necessities and major life events. They are among the lowest-graded positions in Unit B, earning significantly less than the Unit A median salary, despite their integral role in running UMass’s prized dining operation. Based on their incredibly stressful jobs and stunningly low wages, it’s not hard to imagine why people have not wanted to sign on. 

This fall, when PSU Unit B presented a special AFM contract proposal to management, they backed up their presentation with powerful testimonies from eight AFMs. These testimonies combined to tell a consistent story: shameful work conditions, the inability to depend on basic rights and benefits (like sick time for medical emergencies, time off for life milestones, or even regular lunch breaks!) did little to sway Management’s position. AFMs continue to be some of the lowest-paid Unit B members while shouldering the massive weight of UMass’s #1 dining ranking. 

Thanks to member actions including the “You Pay, We Stay” speakout in Whitmore nearly all Unit B members received a salary grade increase in 2023—except for AFMs. Mike Dufresne, co-chair of the Unit B bargaining committee, said in a recent interview with PSU Strong, that:

“Management looked us in the eye and told us that if the assistant food managers wanted fair pay and decent working conditions, then they could go find them somewhere else because Management had dozens of other people just waiting to take the job. They told us that all the assistant food managers were totally replaceable.”

In negotiations this time around, Management has resisted the AFM proposal, which includes not only grade increases but workload protections, a career ladder, and guaranteed year-round employment (year-round employment is currently only guaranteed for certain AFMs, who are selected through an opaque process⎯many are only guaranteed 35 weeks of employment).  

Management likes to pretend that the university couldn’t possibly afford to raise our salaries, so members of the bargaining committee did a little research: turns out the money is already on campus in Auxiliary Services and used for some wild s***. My favorite, and perhaps the most widely known, example is that of the Halloween Surf & Turf tradition every year. On that day alone, the university spends roughly $180,000 on lobsters, $60,000 on steaks, and over $10,000 in overtime for just one 5-hour meal period. That’s $250,000 in all. 

“Why do we do such an extravagant meal on Halloween?” you may ask, because I sure did!
The answer is Ken Toong. 

As Executive Director and Associate Vice Chancellor for Auxiliary Enterprises, Toong is a primary decision-maker about where auxiliary funds go. And it just so happens that Halloween is his birthday, and lobster is his favorite food. Each year, one of Ken’s staff sends out an e-mail outlining his itinerary for that day, letting AFMs know where he will be ending his night. He tours the dining commons, eating his fill of lobster and steak, and then staff are expected to gather around and sing him happy birthday. 
Again, the estimated cost is $250,000. 

It is a surprise to none of us that Management’s priorities are out of whack. And it seems like appealing to their better nature hasn’t changed their course. So, what do we do? 

Keep fighting for each other, keep talking to each other, and keep rising together. Share this story and your own with your coworkers, attend bargaining meetings, show up to flyering and other actions on campus, pay your dues, or volunteer for a committee. Make these issues visible to anyone and everyone! And…stay tuned for some dining-related union actions this semester. 👀

We all deserve better, and we will accept nothing less. And maybe someday, we can afford our own lobsters. But, like, ew.