My name is Court Cline, and I am the Union Representative for the Resident Assistant Unit of UAW Local 2322 (RAU/UAW), the Union that represents all RAs and Peer Mentors at UMass-Amherst. Since April 2015, we have been bargaining a new RAU/UAW contract with the UMass administration. Although your bargaining team initially made some progress with some of their proposals, it is clear that the UMass administration is adamantly opposed to including “just cause” in your contract. Without “just cause”, RAs and Peer Mentors can be terminated from their positions without any reason and without a fair process to appeal the decision. Just cause is included in every other contract on campus, but the UMass administration is claiming that RAs and Peer Mentors are a “different kind of worker” that should not be entitled to the same type of job protections that are guaranteed to other workers on campus. The RAU/UAW bargaining team has made winning “just cause” a number one priority and had decided to put additional pressure on the UMass administration.
In order to do this, we need your help.
HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Sign the RA/PM Just Cause petition at https://uaw2322.org/2015/08/05/umass_just_cause_petition
- Wear a “No Just Cause, No Peace” sticker on your shirt during the Move-In period
- Hand out flyers and get folks to sign copies of the petition during the times that you aren’t working at Move-In. We are specifically looking for folks on Friday, September 4th during the following shifts: 9:00 – Noon, Noon – 3:00 PM and 3:00 – 5:00 pm
- Help to hand out flyers and get petition signatures during the Welcome Back to Campus Barbecue on September 7th from 4:00-7:00 PM
If you would like to sign up to help with our sticker, flyer and petition campaign during Move In on Friday, September 4th and/or the Welcome Back Barbecue, please send an email to jocelyn@uaw2322.org.
In solidarity,
Court