Professional Staff Union at UMass Amherst protests lack of contracts; plans no-confidence vote on chancellor

AMHERST — Five hundred days. That's how long a union at the University of Massachusetts Amherst representing thousands of workers says it has gone without a contract.

On Thursday afternoon, hundreds of Professional Staff Union members and other union allies took to the Whitmore Administration Building to hand Chancellor Javier Reyes' staff leaflets outlining changes they want to see in the next few weeks.

"We feel disrespected by the administration," said Emmy Cooper, an academic advisor in the College of Natural Sciences at the university. "We're losing confidence in (Reyes)."

Michelle Goncalves, a chief of staff at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, holds letters of no-confidence in Chancellor Javier Reyes submitted by members of the Professional Staff Union. Nov. 13, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook

On Dec. 3, the union plans to take a vote of no-confidence in Reyes. The union follows in the footsteps of the Faculty Senate as well as undergraduate and graduate students who have also expressed their lack of confidence in Reyes, following pro-Palestinian protests last year.

"We want to be here and we are committed to our students," said Cooper, who claimed Reyes' has not fairly negotiated with the union.

Ahead of the early December vote, the union has four demands for the university administration: "Take merit pay off the table, hands off our (cost-of-living adjustments), say no to union busters and say no to genocide supporters."

"Many of us work two or three jobs and seek food assistance from the food bank," said Cooper. "What Reyes is suggesting could make it much harder for us to show up for our students."

Andrew Gorry, co-chair of the union, said the university told the union it had "no money" to offer staff but it is funding a multimillion dollar overhaul of the school's football stadium.

"Higher education is under attack by the Trump administration and we need the chancellor to stand up for us," said Gorry.

When reached for comment about ongoing contract negotiations, and the vote of no-confidence in Reyes, a spokesperson for the university claimed the union has made several factual errors that the school would like to correct.

Michelle Goncalves receives letters of no-confidence in Chancellor Javier Reyes from the Professional Staff Union members over low pay, unfair working conditions and perceived underinvestment in the campus. Nov. 13, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook

Melinda Rose, the spokesperson, said the chancellor is not a member of the bargaining team and went on to make these statements: UMass has not filed for an impasse with the Professional Staff Union. And the university did not request a mediator for the Massachusetts Society of Professors, the union representing faculty and librarians.

The university said the presence of a mediator is not a threat, but rather is codified in state law for either party to request if a resolution is not reached.

"The Department of Labor Relations has a 100+ year history of providing mediation support to bargaining units that are unable to reach resolution after substantive bargaining," said Rose.

"To that point: UMass has held 42 bargaining sessions with (the Professional Staff Union) in an attempt to reach resolution."

Rose said the university is seeking to meet with the union Monday "after both the union and the university have their discussions with the mediator."

"The university will continue to present its proposals in good faith and bargain under  the laws set forth in Chapter 150E ," said Rose.

In response to the university's statement Thursday afternoon, Gorry, co-chair of the Professional Staff Union, said the university administration is "playing word games."

"It's unfair that the university is trying to halt bargaining and ... trying to force us into mediation," he said. "(Reyes) should agree to go back to the bargaining table."

Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .