All classified staff at UMass Amherst are members of USA, but begin paying dues by filling out the 2025-2026 Membership Application and email it to Membership Coordinator Antonia Lynch and CC the USA Office.
If you are not sure if you are a dues-paying member, look for the Amh MTA Dues entry under After-Tax Deductions on your latest paystub, or email usa@umass.edu and we will let you know.
What Do Our Dues Do?
USA members are also members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) and the National Education Association (NEA). Our union dues are split between these three associations:
- Just over 50% of an individual’s dues go to the MTA, and they provide USA with extensive resources including legal assistance, organizing, training, and grants for member programs and much more. MTA also provide individual members with discounts and deals, insurance, legal services, and advocacy at the state level.
To see a detailed breakdown of how our dues are allocated in MTA, view the MTA Dues Allocation Chart*. All USA staff fall under the center column: Secretaries, Clerical, Custodians & Higher Ed ESPs. *This page requires an MTA login. If you have never logged into the MTA site before, follow the instructions at the bottom of that page. - A portion goes to the NEA, where we have a voice in national initiatives and send delegates to meetings.
- A portion stays with the local (USA) to help cover programming, office support, and union initiatives.
MTA Benefits
Did you know that in addition to bargaining, our collective power gives us increased buying power too? If you haven’t heard, your dues to the MTA give you access to additional MTA Benefits above and beyond the union organizing you are accustomed to. On the MTABenefits.com website, you will find travel discounts, shopping, subscriptions, insurance, mortgage rates, free museum passes, and many other offers. You will need to create an account (separate from your MTA Log in information) but once you are logged in, you can read about and access endless discounts.
To view more discounts and benefits offered by MTA, visit the Discounts page.
