The contract is settled, but USA is laying the foundation for the next few years. 

By the University Staff Association (USA) Communications Committee 

Just as quickly as summer started, the start of the Fall semester can feel like a whirlwind.  Thankfully, whether your summer was spent having fun in the sun or anxiously waiting for pumpkin spice to show up everywhere, we’ve got you covered with the major headlines from USA over the summer. 

 USA and Management Settle 2024-2027 Contract (with a little help from our friends) 

By now, you should’ve seen a small increase in your paycheck. This is the small, undramatic end to the contentious 11-month fight with University management over a fair and sustainable contract, which culminated in management’s weaponization of the impasse and mediation process and a bad faith bargaining charge against the University for their insistence on implementing the Kronos time-keeping software by circumventing the USA contract.* 

On July 16th, both sides continued to bargain, and management refused to drop their ground rule-breaking proposal and sign a tentative agreement. Both bargaining teams broke for a 2 hour lunch break – and while management used their break to enjoy a worry-free, food secure lunch, USA had other plans. 

Despite sweltering heat and a short planning turnaround time, USA joined over 150 supporters from our sibling UMass Amherst labor unions, education supporters from the Western Mass Area Labor Federation (WMALF), and Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) educators from communities as far away as Cambridge in the third floor hallway outside Chancellor Javier Reyes’s office to voice their anger and frustration.  The windows shook and the walls rattled as SBRs shared their stories about the drastic measures it takes to survive while working as a UMass employee. The bargaining team returned to the bargaining table later that afternoon and successfully reached a tentative agreement with management.

If the tale you’re reading isn’t inspiring enough, how about hearing about it in the form of a song? Check this out: someone wrote a song about the rally! Be sure to check out the “UMass Workers’ Anthem” by Adam Sweet on bandcamp! 

Take a look at some of the local media coverage on our USA rally: 

WWLP-22News:
UMass Amherst employees asking for fairer contracts to keep up with cost of living
(Video-only version available on Youtube) 

Masslive (via Yahoo!): 
University Staff Association employees demand fair contracts from UMass 

Daily Hampshire Gazette: 
‘Without us, there is no UMass’: Unions representing staff decry bargaining tactics by administration at campus rally 

*Note: The bad faith bargaining charge has since been officially withdrawn by USA. 

 2027 Bargaining Starts NOW 

Shortly after both sides signed the tentative agreements, USA members quickly voted to ratify the labor contract, in a successful eleventh-hour push to see the contract funded on Beacon Hill.  With 97% of all members voting to approve, USA’s bargaining team worked quickly with our partners in MTA and supporting legislators to avoid potential delays of several months.

In USA’s communication of the vote results, the USA Bargaining Team applauded the membership of USA for being proactive in this round of bargaining . “We want to recognize that close to 50% of all members voted in this election. You attended contract information sessions, talked with your coworkers, joined your colleagues at rallies, and built power… as we start planning for our next contract negotiations. We’re not taking ‘the first step’ anymore. We’re already moving up the mountain.”  

USA Dominates the Cool Kids Table at MTA Summer Conference 

From all corners of the Commonwealth, public school and higher education support  professionals and educators came to UMass Amherst for MTA’s annual Summer Conference.  This year’s conference, themed by the tagline “Now, More than Ever,” included a fiery keynote speech by Dr. Cornel West, who professed to those in attendance the power of building a movement on love, rather than on unsustainable anger. 

For USA, the phrase “Now, More than Ever” held extra meaning — as now, more than ever, USA members had an unmistakable presence at the conference. Hot off the heels of approving the collective bargaining agreement, the bargaining team and silent bargaining representatives of USA took a victory lap when they attended the Summer Conference and shared their stories with colleagues from across the state. USA had a great showing of first-time attendees, who learned about the foundations of bargaining and democratized bargaining. These are classes that count towards earning the MTA Bargaining Certificate, awarded to MTA members who attend an extensive curriculum of courses focusing on developing leadership and organizing skills to build influence in power in bargaining campaigns.  By teaching the fundamentals of grassroots organizing and shifting traditional bargaining strategies to create membership-driven campaigns, the program seeks to modernize collective bargaining practices by sharing current best-practices of locals who won major victories in bargaining. 

Your coworkers want YOU to join them this winter, as MTA hosts the Winter Skills Conference on January 23-24, 2026 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel! Keep an eye on your inbox for more details as we get closer to the event. 

Holding the Line: USA Joins PSU’s Fight for a Fair Contract

The fight for a living wage and better working conditions doesn’t end just because the ink dried on the USA contract.  A big rule in labor organizing comes from the late President John F. Kennedy: “a rising tide lifts all boats.” There have been no shortage of educators fighting for fair contracts across Western Massachusetts, and USA has been answering the call to try and lift the tide by showing up in solidarity with other unions all throughout the summer.

As it stands now, PSU-A is the only MTA-affiliated union at UMass Amherst still in bargaining, and the fight shows no sign of slowing down.  Members of PSU and USA have been working closely over the past year in bargaining, working to demand better pay and working conditions for University employees.  However, the same management that went through the motions and moved to declare impasse in bargaining also stands in PSU’s way. However, the unions on campus have one advantage: solidarity in numbers. 

As students moved back onto campus on one of the biggest move-in days, they were greeted by the Expandable Brass Band, with well over a hundred PSU staff and allies as they marched from the Student Union to Massachusetts Ave. Waves of students and parents passed by and honked horns, as they cheered on the staff responsible for their education.  The key takeaway from this event: University staff working conditions are student working and living conditions, and students have just as much to gain or lose by what University management decides to do. 

For both the early-returning students and the never-leaving staff on campus, USA held down a table during the University’s Lunch on the Lawn event on August 21st.  While the event was intended for staff to enjoy a free lunch prepared by hard-working UMass Dining staff, it also served as an opportunity for staff to connect with each other before the start of the semester. This was the first of many opportunities for USA members to meet with their union siblings, tell their stories and discuss some of the upcoming goals for USA to build power in anticipation for bargaining in 2027. 

Western Mass Celebrates Labor Day 

For many of us growing up, Labor Day was the unofficial end of the summer. Today, as workers across the country continue to see their cost of living eat away at their paychecks, it’s good to recognize the importance of Labor Day as a holiday that celebrates workers standing together to fight for the compensation and working conditions they deserve. 

On Labor Day, hundreds of activists, educators, and supporters paraded around downtown Holyoke to celebrate that history, while drawing attention to the continued fight for fair wages.  Several USA members, including some who live in Holyoke, attended the event to express their solidarity with their neighbors.  The event, spearheaded by the Holyoke Teachers Association (HTA), was also an opportunity to tell an all-too-familiar story: much like USA’s bargaining, and PSU’s continuing fight, the educators of the HTA are still at odds with a district bargaining team who opted to push for mediation, abdicating their responsibility to bargain for fair working conditions by putting the responsibility in the hands of the state.

For Holyoke educators, parents, and students, this was an especially egregious concept given that the Holyoke Public Schools spent the last ten years fighting their way out of state receivership — just to hand control of their negotiations back to the state. Just like here at UMass Amherst, the HTA is pushing for a contract that addresses the issues long ignored by the state. Retention, fair compensation, and health and safety priorities for students, staff, and educators are just a few of the priorities the HTA wants to address, and you can find out more about their fight at the HTA website.

USA Goes Live on Social Media 

Before the pandemic, social media was a novelty for unions – good to have, but not truly essential. However, recent studies have shown that up to 80% of Americans get their news not from legacy media, but from Facebook/Tiktok/Instagram and other social media sites and apps.  With the rapidly evolving world, you need to be able to find us where you are, which led to the conclusion: social media presence is not a luxury, but a necessity. 

While USA’s Communications Committee will continue to provide high-quality, timely and important information to you by email, you can now find more of the sights and sounds of solidarity on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to follow us, and tag @usa.mta in your adventures!  

New USA Website coming soon! 

Finally, over the summer, the Communications Committee has also been meeting to discuss the next iteration of the USA website.  Built from the ground up, the focus is to provide you with an intuitive, modern, easy to use resource with important information on your rights as a USA member, bargaining updates, and more. 

The project, led by USA’s Recording Secretary Chris Weeks, is currently on pace to see an October 9th soft rollout. 

This is your website, and we want to make it a valuable resource for you to use. What do you need to make that happen? Let us know by taking a moment to fill out a quick feedback form!

While we continue to work behind the scenes to deliver an intuitive, modern website, please enjoy a few sneak peek screenshots of what we’re cooking.  **Disclaimer: these are in-progress screens, and are not representative of the final product.**

 

9/30/25 Update: Added a link to the Holyoke Teachers Association website.