AMHERST — The resident assistants and peer mentors union at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has voted by a 95% margin to permit its bargaining team to formally refuse to work under the reopening conditions outlined by the university, which the union says endangers employees and the community.
In a letter to UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, Nat Luftman, Alice Troop and James Cordero, co-chairs of the Resident Assistant/Peer Mentor Union of UAW 2322, said that the university must bargain with the union to ensure safe working conditions — if not, they told Subbaswamy, “your reopening plan is in danger of being canceled.”
The co-chairs added, “residential life must bargain with us to create a safe reopening plan, or our bargaining team will have no choice but to call for RAs (resident assistants) and PMs (peer mentors) to refuse to work in the unsafe conditions of the current reopening plan.”
Around 365 resident assistants and peer mentors, or 75% of people this staffing, have signed a pledge not to return unless the university meets the union’s health and safety demands, according to Cordero. A second union petition calling for support from the UMass community and surrounding cities and towns had more than 600 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
When reached for comment on Monday, a university spokesman directed the Gazette to a statement it provided last week regarding the negotiations.
In that statement, university spokeswoman Mary Dettloff said that UMass “will not comment on specific bargaining proposals while active negotiations are underway.”
“The university’s labor relations staff has been meeting regularly and will continue to meet with the RA and Peer Mentor union twice a week to discuss their concerns related to the fall 2020 semester,” Dettloff said.
“As with all employees who are working on campus this fall, the university is committed to creating a safe workplace for all, especially in these times of a public health crisis.”
In late June, UMass released its fall reopening plan, which allows an uncapped number of any students who had already secured housing to return to campus in the fall, though most students will take all-remote classes. Last week, the university announced that it expects around 7,000 students, or 50%-60% of its usual on-campus population, to return to university housing.
Leaders in the Resident Assistant/Peer Mentor Union of UAW 2322 have criticized the university’s reopening plan, stating that it does not adequately protect staff from COVID-19 infection, does not provide clear expectations for residential life staff and prioritizes profit over public safety.
“This reopening will increase community spread,” the co-chairs wrote. “Students and community members will get sick and die. And, as COVID disproportionately afflicts Black and brown communities, this dangerous reopening plan confirms that UMass’ commitment to racial justice is hollow.”
In response to the plan, the union asked for remote work options for residential life staff and hazard pay. The co-chairs say that the university has refused to bargain with them over these issues. The union has also asked for free personal protective equipment from the university. So far, they say that plans will only provide staff with one mask each.
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.