❄️Monday, December 22, 2025❄️
UNION SKILLS WINTER CONFERENCE
Whether you’re an experienced organizer or new to organizing spaces, the Union Skills Winter Conference is a fun way to come together, learn new skills, and make connections with union colleagues across the state.
The 2026 Union Skills Winter Conference is January 23-24, 2026 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston.
MTA Bargaining Certificate Program courses will be offered such as Bargaining Foundations, Democratized Bargaining, Creative Tactics and Strategic Actions, Winning Immigration Justice at the Bargaining Table, and more!
In order to keep growing our union power, attendees will be asked to share what they learned and use the skills they developed by doing one or more of the following: attend a debrief session hosted by the E-Board, collaborate on a website blog post about their experience, or join a committee.
Contact the USA Office at usa@umass.edu if you’re considering attending or already registered. We have reimbursement funds available for travel and hotel expenses. The USA Office can also help coordinate carpooling and hotel rooms! Please note that the deadline for hotel room registration is January 4th.
Help Wanted! Treasurer & Reclassification Specialist
USA has two vacancies on our E-Board and we’re looking for volunteers to step up and help us build our strength! E-Board members get union release time, meaning you don’t have to use vacation or personal time to tend to union duties.
We’re looking for a TREASURER: This position entails 3 to 5 hours of work per week, which can vary based on where we are in the budget cycle (our FY 26 budget has already been approved by our members, so that work is done for now). We’re looking for someone who is comfortable with Excel, numbers, and data but you don’t need to be an accountant or finance professional.
USA needs a CLASSIFICATION SPECIALIST: The amount of time spent varies depending on the number of people looking for assistance. We’re looking for a great listener who is detail-oriented, and well organized. We have a two-person Classifications Committee who would be thrilled to train you.
If either of these positions sound interesting, please email the USA Office at usa@umass.edu for more information, or to set up a time to talk to someone about any questions you may have.
Looking for other ways to help? These two positions are our most critical needs right now, but there are lots of ways to get involved! We’re trying to grow all our committees and bring in more perspectives for a truly member-led movement. Please consider joining our Communications Committee, Health and Safety Committee, Organizing Committee, Membership Committee, and more!
How much would it cost the University to guarantee a living wage for ALL faculty and staff at UMass Amherst? How much of our budget goes towards the top 1% of earners at UMass Amherst in comparison to the rest of us? The ugly conclusion: austerity is an ideological choice, and if you’re struggling with food and financial insecurity, it doesn’t need to be this difficult.
In this comprehensive report, Kevin A. Young, UMass Amherst Professor of History and Vice President of the Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP) takes a deep dive into the current economic conditions on campus and the decisions that UMass Amherst’s administration continue to make out of choice rather than necessity.
See for yourself: click below to access the report, one-pager, and UMass administration budget documents!
Contract Corner: Personal Time
USA members get 6 days of paid personal time every year. This type of paid leave differs from vacation and sick time because it is awarded all at once and expires every year in January. Personal time is awarded on the first day of the first full pay period that falls entirely within January, and previous year’s time expires on the last day of the preceding pay period.
📆This year, personal time awarded in 2025 will expire on 1/10/26, and new personal time will be effective 1/11/26 and reflected in the 1/26/26 paycheck.
✅ Quick facts about personal time:
- The code in HRDirect is PER.
- It can be used alongside vacation time.
- You must request and get approval from your supervisor before using personal time.
- A supervisor can require a certain amount of notice in order to meet operational needs (i.e. desk or phone coverage), but there is no minimum amount of notice required to request personal time according to your contract.
- It can be used for emergencies (including illness), and you must notify your supervisor ASAP.
- Read Article 9, Section 2 of your contract for more information!
🔮 A LOOK AHEAD TO 2026… A NEW YEAR, A NEW YOU-S-A! 🔮
How much would it cost the University to guarantee a living wage for ALL faculty and staff at UMass Amherst? How much of our budget goes towards the top 1% of earners at UMass Amherst in comparison to the rest of us? The ugly conclusion: austerity is an ideological choice, and if you’re struggling with food and financial insecurity, it doesn’t need to be this difficult.
In this comprehensive report, Kevin A. Young, UMass Amherst Professor of History and Vice President of the Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP) takes a deep dive into the current economic conditions on campus and the decisions that UMass Amherst’s administration continue to make out of choice rather than necessity.
See for yourself: click below to access the report, one-pager, and UMass administration budget documents!
Keep an eye on your inbox on January 5th for more details!
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USA members get 6 days of paid personal time every year. This type of paid leave differs from vacation and sick time because it is awarded all at once and expires every year in January. Personal time is awarded on the first day of the first full pay period that falls entirely within January, and previous year’s time expires on the last day of the preceding pay period.
This email is brought to you by the USA Communications Committee.
If you’re interested in joining, contributing, or have stories to share, please reach out to Deborah Place at dplace@umass.edu
