rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/stop-layoffs-at-umass-lowell?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-stop-layoffs-at-umass-lowell' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> UMass Unions United https://actionnetwork.org/groups/umass-unions-united https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/111/949/normal/thumbnail.jpg First we were essential, now they say we are expendable. In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, staff at UMass campuses immediately jumped into action to protect workers and students. For weeks while others stayed at home, we came to campus to make sure the students who could not leave and the workers who had to work on site would be safe. We put ourselves and our families at risk. We take our mission of providing safe, quality public education seriously. We think it is essential. Now UMass Lowell faces a 1% budget shortfall, and their solution is to layoff half of the maintenance and trades staff, and threatened a similar size cut to the clerical and technical staff union too—all the lowest paid benefited employees on campus. What happened to us being essential? Now are we expendable? Workers began receiving layoff notices Friday evening, despite wishing to continue negotiations with the university to find an equitable, workable solution that does not leave workers out in the cold. This is unacceptable. They need to hear from you. Please join us in contacting UMass President Marty Meehan, UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Maloney, and your Senator and Congressperson, to say it isn’t OK to simply discard workers when you need an extra penny. UMass Lowell must continue to negotiate with workers and treat them as essential, not expendable. Thank you for your support and action https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stop-layoffs-at-umass-lowell