by Andrea Lydick, MTA Board Member & USA Steward / Special Projects Coordinator
I started at UMass in the fall of 2023 and was looking for ways to engage with The University Staff Association. I had seen the power of a union firsthand, as my partner was in an active union negotiating for substantial increases and benefits in his workplace. I took the job at UMass, in no small part, because I would be in a union and I would have the chance to fight for a better workplace for myself and any other member. I hadn’t met any other members yet (I’m the only USA member in my department), but I nominated myself for the Stewards Council as my first in-road to the union. While I was waiting for the Stewards Council to get off the ground, I got an email about the 2024 Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) Summer Conference Higher Ed Lunch. I am a big fan of free lunch, so I signed up to attend. I went alone, knew no one there, and picked a random seat. The food was delicious and I ended up having a lovely chat with a librarian who sat next to me. This was my first real chance to connect with people from across campus and see what being in the MTA was all about.
While we were eating, we heard from Max Page, then-president of the MTA, who shared information about the Fair Share Amendment, supported by MTA efforts, and other MTA initiatives. Max has a way of conveying information that is both instructional and inspirational – probably a trait that makes him a good lecturer in the Department of Architecture at UMass Amherst. I was excited to hear about how the MTA was fighting back against millionaires and billionaires in our state and supporting the legislation to bolster education initiatives in Massachusetts. This was some real union work – pushing for a better place to live for members everywhere. The MTA was fighting hard across the state, but I was still waiting to learn about how I could make a difference at UMass and here in Amherst.
There was an awkward pause in the lunch after Max spoke. He said the guest speaker was coming from the Berkshires and was running a bit behind. He was on his way, taking the time away from visiting with family to speak to all of us, to share his story and (in my case) inspire us with his struggle.
I was excited to hear about how the MTA was fighting back against millionaires and billionaires in our state and supporting the legislation to bolster education initiatives in Massachusetts. This was some real union work – pushing for a better place to live for members everywhere.
This guest speaker was Al Davidoff, Director of Learning and Development at The Solidarity Center. He shared his experience unionizing his workplace, Cornell University, in the 80’s and 90’s as a recent Cornell graduate working for pennies cleaning the dorms over the summer. Al was very candid about the struggles of building a union, motivating a diverse workforce towards collective action, and the real struggle of forcing University Administration to respect their employees. I hadn’t participated as a Silent Bargaining Representative yet, I hadn’t witnessed how management dismisses very real problems and necessary changes at the bargaining table, but Al had seen it all. I naively thought that times were different, that UMass had to be better than that. It would be several months before I realized how wrong I was, but hearing Al talk about it prepared me for the worst. The UMass administrators sitting across from the University Staff Association Bargaining team used the same lines, the same dismissive attitude, and the same stalling tactics that Al described the union busters of Cornell using against him and his coworkers. Al told us, on that summer day, what to expect from every boss trying to maintain power, and I saw it unfold months later when I watched my union fight for living wages and respect.
He was giving away copies of his book, Unionizing the Ivory Tower, ironically atop the UMass Campus Center, and I made sure to grab a copy. In my next post, I will share some of my key takeaways from that book. I went for free lunch, but I walked away with my first book on labor history and a sense that if we wanted to see the changes Max talked about, we would have to fight like Al to get there.
We talk a lot about opening doors for members to be involved in their union. The MTA Summer Conference was my first real open door, and stepping through it has inspired me to step into union organizing at every opportunity. Whether it’s a big movement or a single worker issue in one worksite, there are ways to engage with your own power as a worker. This conference is a great place to gain skills and cultivate the language and practice of collective action, and as a University Staff Association Member, all your meals are free when you register as Higher Education Classified Staff!
If you have any questions about the Summer Conference, please email the USA office at usa@umass.edu!
