About Us

University Staff United is a new union of and for staff at the University of Michigan. We believe in democratic decision-making and we promote the idea that staff should have an equal seat at the table when decisions are made that affect our jobs. Together through USU, we can use our collective power to gain a voice for ourselves, claim the respect we deserve, and achieve material improvements in our lives and in our work.

We are staff on all three UM campuses and in many roles.

AFT Michigan, the state organization of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), is a union of education and healthcare workers at institutions across the state. University Staff United is partnering with AFT Michigan to build a strong local union with deep ties to other workers at the University of Michigan and in our surrounding communities. In addition to USU, several other unions at UM are affiliated with AFT Michigan: LEO, the union of nontenure-track faculty; GEO, the union of graduate student employees; UPAMM, the union of physician assistants; and UMMAP, a new and expanding union of healthcare workers. Each of those local unions is independent, run by its own members — and our union is run by staff. We decide for ourselves what changes we want to see in our workplaces, and what action we’ll take to achieve our goals. AFT Michigan provides us with valuable support, advice and training based in experience, and the solidarity of a connection to the larger labor movement.