Newsletter

USU Community Picnic – September 16th at Olson Park University Staff United would like to invite you to join us for a community picnic on Monday, September 16th from 5:30 PM onwards. We’ll be meeting at the shelter at Olson Park in Ann Arbor, MI, which is handicap accessible, for a classic summer cookout. Join…

Important USU Update: Management Stacks Voter List with Supervisors Dear Colleagues, We’re writing to you today with an update on the recognition process for our union bargaining unit. As you know, we reached an agreement with management last month outlining which job titles will be included in Student & Instructional Services. The next step is…

Job Creep Got you Down? Unionize with USU Have new responsibilities been added to your job description without commensurate compensation? After a colleague retired or left, was their job posted with vastly broader duties at a similar or lower salary level, or simply left vacant? Have you been asked to cover a colleague’s duties over…

We’re Building a Solidarity Union – Join Us! What kind of union is USU? We often say: “USU is all of us.” Don’t take it for granted: that simple phrase represents our most important aspirations for this union we’re building together. Some unions are basically bureaucratic: members pay dues and then rely on their elected…

In Person Work Mandates are Coming – Could We be Next? Many staff members in UM’s Information and Technology Services (ITS) department have been working fully remote since 2020, with many of us new hires promised remote jobs since we started work at UM in the last 4 years. Against the University’s previous promises, members…

Win Guaranteed Promotions – Join your Union! Many UM staff find themselves in jobs that they love, with students they want to continue to support, but are unable to receive recognition for their growing skills through formal pathways to promotion. This results in folks leaving their jobs for other departments, schools, or colleges on campus…

Bargaining Unit Approved – We Need You for Card Count! Great news! We have reached an agreement with University HR on the Student & Instructional Services bargaining unit. HR has agreed that our bargaining unit is reasonable, which means that we are ready to have our cards counted. As soon as the cards are counted…

Merit Raises vs. Union Raises The regents recently announced raises of 3.5% on the Ann Arbor campus, 3% on the Flint campus, and only a promise of “modest” raises on the Dearborn campus. Accounting for inflation, these raises will continue to leave many behind their pre-pandemic salary in real terms and unable to afford increasing…

Help Improve Accommodations We talk a lot at U-M about diversity, equity, and inclusion. But in some areas, that talk isn’t translating into an inclusive and accessible workplace. Employees with disabilities or chronic health conditions, or those who need medical leaves of absence, can’t be confident we’ll get the support we need through Work Connections,…

We Have a Constitution We have a constitution! Thanks to everyone who participated in the process by attending informational meetings, submitting feedback, and voting in the referendum. We had great turnout for the vote and overwhelming support for the proposed constitution: 484 votes in favor, 17 against. This means it will soon be time to…