To: UMass President – Marty Meehan – umasspresident@umassp.edu
CC: UMB Chancellor – Katherine Newman – Katherine.Newman@umb.edu
CC: UMass Senior VP Student Affairs–Robert Gamache – rgamache@umassp.edu
CC: UMass PFML Administrator – Jennifer Larsen – jlarsen@umassp.edu
Subject: Why are Student-Workers excluded from the PFML
Main Text:
Hello,
This week, all of the employees at UMass are being notified that
they are being enrolled in the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave
program. Why are student workers excluded?
As a student and an
employee of UMass, I should have the same rights as all other
employees. If I am hurt on the job, workers compensation will provide
me with a salary replacement until I can get back to work. Why am I
considered a worker if I am injured but not if I fall ill with a
serious medical ailment?
I am calling on you to advocate on the
behalf of student employees like myself. I hope you will lobby on the
behalf of your students with Governor Baker and the Massachusetts
Legislature. UMass could not function without student workers. We are
the customers, the product, and the workers of our great institution.
Without students conducting research, grading papers, and paying
tuition – where would UMass be? You need to make the Governor realize
that your student workers need the same protections as every other
employee at UMass.
We also call on you to stand with your
students who need support the most by putting an internal program in
place to provide leaves to student workers immediately. Nothing
prevents UMass from doing the right thing and creating a private
program to support their student workers. If you are committed to
UMass, you need to demonstrate this by being committed to its students.
Respectfully,
Signature
Degree Type (e.g. Master of Fine Arts or PhD Biology)
Position (Research/Teaching Assistant)
Department Name, University of Massachusetts Boston
Graduate Employee Organization 