Hey USA! Chris Weeks here, and on behalf of the Website Subcommittee, allow me to welcome you to the new USA Website. As I mentioned in our website reveal back in October, this is the culmination of several USA members, both executive board and Rank and File, and shows the true potential of what we can do when we pull in the same direction. With the help of MTA, we were able to develop this site in the background and it did not cost us a dollar of dues money. You can read more about the process we took to get here in the Sneak Peek at the NEW USA WEBSITE! post.
Now that the site is live, I’d like to take a few moments to show you around, highlight new features on the site, and put out a call to help keep the website fresh by soliciting your feedback and future content ideas.
Header and Navigation
Search
On the right side of the header, you see a Search box. This feature allows you to search any page or post on the website. Say you were looking for more information on the Sick Leave Bank. This allows you to quickly pull up any pages or posts that reference the search string in their contents:
We hope this helps you find what you’re looking for more quickly than before!
Updated Navigation
Based on feedback from our soft launch in October, we continued to tweak the navigation until we landed on this final form. We heard from you that the Stewards page was too important to be hidden under Resources, and we agree! We want Resources to be the place to turn for questions about member rights, benefits, and what it means to be in a union. To that end, we also created the FAQ and Union Dictionary, which we hope are useful resources, especially as we enter the planning stages for 2027 Bargaining! Do you have a question or union term to add to the FAQ or Dictionary? Submit them to the USA office!
New Features
Bargaining Headquarters
In addition to the FAQ and Union Dictionary, we also wanted to make the site more powerful for bargaining season which, believe it or not, is right around the corner. Our new Bargaining Headquarters shows you how much time before our contract expires and offers several paths forward to win the contract we all deserve in 2027. We will update this area in the coming months, so keep an eye on it! In the meantime, take some time to read over our current Collective Bargaining Agreement and ask yourself “What would I change about my contract?” Now is the time to dream big and submit your suggestions to the USA office!
Get Involved!
After over 60 USA members were able to witness the bargaining process as Silent Bargaining Representatives, it’s more important than ever that we band together and pull in the same direction well before we sit down at the table next year. The Executive Board has identified key ways to get more involved and show that UMass runs on union power. No matter your skillset, comfort level, and availability, there is a way for you to help!
See the Get Involved page for more details. If you have an idea to help that’s not listed, we always welcome an email to the USA office!
Events Calendar
In keeping with the theme of getting more involved in your union, we built an Events Calendar that shows every meeting, information session, action, and event that we plan or help organize. The Organizing Committee is largely in charge of planning USA actions on campus in conjunction with our fellow UMass Union siblings and is always recruiting new members.
Learn more about MTA and NEA
Confused about how USA, MTA, and NEA are connected? We’ve all been there! Learn more about MTA & NEA and what they offer.
Help this website evolve
Do you have experience in web design, development, graphic design, or writing? Do you have an idea for content not currently featured on this site? Or maybe you just have feedback and want to share with us. We welcome any of the above! Please email me, Chris Weeks, and we can continue to make this website a strong resource for all University Staff Association members!
