Last week members of the UMass Unions United Dartmouth team created an email requesting a union seat on the UMass Dartmouth Chancellor search and screen committee. The email was sent to UMass President Marty Meehan, Search Committee Chair Steve Karam, Board of Trustees Chair Robert Manning, and copied to MA State Legislators that have expressed interest in the search process.
AFSCME Local 507 President Cindy Costa reached out to AFL-CIO MA President and UMass Board of Trustee Steve Tolman for additional support when she did not receive a response from the email recipients. Steve contacted President Marty Meehan directly and reiterated Cindy’s request. After speaking to President Meehan, Steve got back to Cindy stating that the committee had already been formed. Cindy pushed back and said “Please remind President Meehan that UMass Dartmouth Unions have taken multiple furloughs, salary reductions, voluntary separation incentive programs (early retirement without money added to members base pay) in an effort to preserve everyone's job on campus. The unions also agreed to voluntary re-deployments.” Cindy added that this was an easy ask and would cost nothing to the university. An additional union seat would send a goodwill gesture to the unions on the Dartmouth campus. At that point, Steve reached out again to President Meehan with Cindy’s message. Steve got back to Cindy stating that President Meehan agreed to having an additional seat, a union seat, that would be added to the search committee. President Meehan wanted to balance the committee out and requested to add a male to the committee. Cindy requested that Nick Gula, AFT Maintainer 6350 President be added. They graciously accepted Nick to the search committee.
President Meehan called Cindy the next day, thanked her for the letter, and was happy that Nick was going to be added to the committee. Cindy thanked him as well for giving the UMass Unions United Dartmouth a seat at the table.
The UMass Unions United working as a coalition takes this as a huge win! #whenwefightwewin!