After 14 years employed by UMass Amherst, I can tell you one thing for certain: UMass is a good place to work, thanks to the unions.

Here is a partial list of benefits that professional staff get at UMass Amherst, thanks only to the Professional Staff Union (PSU):

  • 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave for those who qualify.
  • Up to 26 weeks of fully paid leave to care for a sick or injured family member.
  • Dental and vision insurance with premium contributions paid entirely by the university.
  • Job protections so that you can not be terminated without cause.
  • Flexible work arrangements allowing employees to work from home.

These benefits were won at the bargaining table thanks to the hard work of union representatives and activists.

The university’s recent “We’re Here For Good” human resources marketing campaign would have you believe that UMass is invested in employee retention and longevity — “Here for your success. Here to stay… We’re here to invest in your success and growth.” And yet the reality on the ground is that the university can only be counted on to do the right thing for employees when it is legally or contractually obligated. And even then, sometimes not.

In 2023, UMass illegally privatized the Advancement division — the group of employees who raise money for the university from donors, foundations, corporations, etc. The university will say that it had legitimate reasons for doing this and that it complied with the law, but the fact is that they were informed by state officials that this action was illegal, and they did it anyway.

As a mitigating measure, PSU and USA (University Staff Association), the two unions representing employees affected by this action, negotiated with the university to allow employees in the Advancement division who wanted to remain in state employment to transfer to other university jobs, instead of joining the private nonprofit called the UMass Amherst Foundation. Had the unions not intervened, those employees not wishing to join the private nonprofit would have faced layoffs.

Beyond the university’s own actions, there are other reasons employees can face layoffs, such as the devastating impacts of the Trump administration’s callous cuts. My own job was eliminated as of last month because my program’s funding was terminated by the Federal Reconciliation Act of 2025 (known as the One Big Beautiful Bill). Over 20 of my colleagues, most of them educators who went into K-12 public schools and community organizations to teach about nutrition and fitness, were also laid off.

As PSU members, we would have had “bumping” rights (the right to “bump” into another university job) if our positions had not been grant-funded. The PSU collective-bargaining agreement exempts grant-funded members from bumping rights, and UMass declined to provide any help to those of us who wanted to remain employed by the university. They didn’t help us, because they didn’t have to. Of these laid-off employees, one had been at UMass for 40 years, and many others for several decades. I myself had been at UMass since 2012 and had successfully changed jobs and been promoted several times, increasing my contributions to the university each time.

If the “We’re Here For Good” campaign was genuine in its support of employees, the university would have worked with those of us facing layoffs to find other positions — an endeavor that is not difficult, does not require many resources, and pays back in dividends. And had the contract stipulated it, UMass would have been required to help us, but because they were not contractually obligated to, they did not, and they lost more than 20 dedicated employees.

Over the last 14 years, there were a lot of things that I loved about working at UMass. I felt privileged to work in the town where I live; I got to know many people and became even more entrenched in my community; I swelled with pride at every commencement ceremony, and of course the food is great. But I’ve come to realize that what makes UMass a good place to work is not that the university is a great employer — it’s that there are people willing to fight for you. And even when they fail, they don’t give up — they keep on fighting. The unions make UMass a better employer.

Jennifer Shiao lives in Amherst.