Bargaining Headquarters

This is the go-to place for information on bargaining USA’s 2024-2027 contract.
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Contents
  • Important Dates
  • Most Recent Update
    • Previous Updates
    • News and Information
  • Official Bargaining Documents
  • USA Bargaining Team Members
  • USA Negotiations Committee Members
  • Become a member!

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday July 2nd, 2025: Bargaining Session with Management

Most Recent Update: May 21st and June 4th

University Files for Mediation with the DLR

As we cross the 10-month mark since starting bargaining, your University Staff Association bargaining team has made great effort to reach agreements with management but are still being stonewalled by dismissive rebuttals by management at the table.  This continues to manifest in disputes about formatting, wherein management refuses to adhere to their own requested process for tracking changes.  As of 6/4, management cited “miscommunication” in the bargaining process and notified the USA bargaining team that they would be pursuing a mediator from the Department of Labor Relations (DLR). (Update: management has filed for mediation, you can find out more about what this means for the bargaining process here.)

 Tentative Agreements Reached

After management’s notification that they would be seeking mediation, USA and University management’s bargaining teams reached tentative agreements on 2 additional proposals.

Article 19 – Out of Title Work 

Increases the daily stipend for bargaining unit members performing out-of-title work from $15 to $20. 

Article 25 – Health and Safety 

Broadens the requirements on personal protective equipment provided to USA employees whose positions require them to work in locations where hazards to health cannot be fully mitigated.

Where we are on other proposals: 

Article 10 – Holidays 

USA continues providing counter-proposals with adjusted language to apply ONLY to USA members, while management continues rejecting them without counter.  USA provided an additional counterproposal which removes the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve (December 24th) from the proposal, keeping the day after Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas a  nd New Years Day on the table.  On 6/4, management provided a counterproposal rejecting the proposal and countering with language in the current contract. Management also continues to reject proposed language for additional holidays recognized as “premium pay” holidays for those staff who are required to work those days. 

USA’s bargaining team held firm in their ask to reconsider, as USA steward and silent bargaining representative Thor Hansen provided testimony about holiday pay on the other land-grant universities in New England (UConn, UMaine, University of Rhode Island, University of Vermont, and University of New Hampshire). The research indicated that all five of these universities offer more special-pay holidays and provide more reasonable differentials for those staff who are required to work on those days. 

Article 16 – Health and Welfare 

USA provided an initial counterproposal of a University contribution of $21.00 per full time employee (FTE) per calendar week into the Health and Welfare trust. Management continues to reject counterproposals, so far only agreeing to an increase of $18.00 from $16.50. USA currently has an offer of $20.00 per FTE, and continues to argue that the trust cannot provide adequate funding for sustainable dental benefits – which creates extra hardship for staff who need benefits beyond the bare minimum. 

 Article 10 – Sick Leave Bank 

Management agreed to reduce the waiting period to be able to use the SLB from 6 months to 90 days.  Management proposed broad language to include members of the immediate household, which includes domestic partners.  Domestic Partners would need to submit an attestation of domestic partnership. 

Management expressed interest in switching SLB to an electronic process for enrolling members into the sick leave bank, but stated that they cannot commit to language in the current contract.   

Management is sticking to their initial proposal of 4 weeks of SLB benefits for parental leave and illness of a family member (a reduction from USA’s proposal of 90 days). 

 Article 9 – Sick Leave 

USA proposed increasing the annual accrual of sick leave from 12 to 14 days for parity with PSU-B. Management rejected this language, and provided no rationale for doing so. 

Both parties agreed to add inclusive language affirming current practice to accommodate multiple parents in the birth or adoption of a child. Added parental leave language for a foster child (which is not in the current contract)  Parties agreed to add sick leave to the pool in which a member can draw from for parental leave. 

Management rejected language to increase the amount of bereavement leave for staff. 

Article 17 – Vacancies and Promotions 

USA and management are close to agreement on proposed changes to this article, which modernizes language and provides for a side letter authorizing a joint labor-management committee to implement a pilot program of implementing major budgetary unit (MBU)-only searches with an expectation that it will expedite the process of filling vacancies. 

Management continues to reject language proposed by USA that would preserve the anniversary date of an employee. 

Article 29 – Evaluations 

USA rejected this proposal, countering with current language in the contract.  Management provided a counterproposal to switch to an electronic process by partnering with a third-party entity called NeoGov. More discussion will follow on this proposal.
Previous Updates
News and Information

Official Bargaining Documents

Guiding Documents
Ground Rules
Ground Rules are a set of guidelines that the union and management establishes prior to bargaining proposals, that are meant to facilitate the bargaining process by establishing deadlines, communication norms, meeting modality, and bargaining team makeup.
USA Contract 2020-2023
Tentative Agreements
  • Reached 3/26/25
    • Article 7 Anti-Discrimination
      • Expands the protected classes in our contract.
      • Prevented the University’s attempt to further limit how members can report discrimination.
    • Article 20 Reclassification
      • Clarified and streamlined processes.
    • Article 22 Layoff and Recall
      • Modernized and updated language to reflect current processes.
      • Updates to Section 22 G, which allows employees who are scheduled to be laid off or are in layoff status to fill vacant bargaining unit positions of an equal or lower-graded classification, as long as that employee meets the minimum qualifications.
  • Reached 6/4/25
    • Article 19 Out of Title Work
      • Increases the daily stipend for bargaining unit members performing out-of-title work from $15 to $20.
    • Article 25 Health and Safety
      • Broadens the requirements on personal protective equipment provided to USA employees whose positions require them to work in locations where hazards to health cannot be fully mitigated. 
USA’s Proposals
University’s Proposals

Bargaining Team and Negotiations Committee Members

The Bargaining Team meets with management at the bargaining table. Members of the Negotiations Committee meets with the Bargaining Team bi-weekly to discuss and prepare for the next bargaining meeting with management.

Bargaining Team Negotiations Committee
Mary Malinowski Antonia Lynch
Sheila Gilmour Ian Sedelow
Linda Fish James Poro
Heather Deirdre
Michelle McBride
Kyle Chambers
Dora Ramos
Casey Krone

Become a member!

Our membership is our strength! If you didn’t join our union when you started your USA position, please email usa@umass.edu to become a member!