Meet US
Who Are the United Staff?
The United Staff are full and part-time UVM staff who volunteer their time to work toward a staff union for the roughly 1500 unrepresented staff employees at UVM. Hundreds of UVM staff support our effort and some of them are listed below.
Our Leadership Team is comprised of a score of UVM staff who are taking the lead on building a strategy that will move us toward a union vote in the near future. We believe now is the time to finally create a staff union for UVM staff. Join us! Contact us union[at]unitedstaff[dot]us
********UVM Staff in Support of United Staff!********
Tricia Chatary, Risk Management
“On principle I believe folks should have a say in their work life. If that mutual respect can happen without extraneous measures to force participation, great. However in practice that kind of cooperation rarely happens without the unrepresented party advocating for itself. I am willing to be in the vanguard of the organizing effort for those who don’t yet feel as secure in a public expression of their beliefs. I hope soon that our courage is contagious and folks will stand up for The Right Thing to Do. There is no shame in wanting a voice in how you and your employer work together.”
Jen Larsen, former staff, Geology
“For 21 years I was an employee at the University of Vermont. As you know UVM is a unique, dynamic environment in which to work. For the many opportunities the university provides I feel very fortunate to have been a long time staff member. However over these many years, I have witnessed many changes that have strengthened my belief in the need to secure many of the good aspects of working at the university. Watching the collective bargaining successes of the part-time and full-time faculty union, the police services, and the maintenance and service employees, the unrepresented staff are just plain vulnerable to the whims of the university administration. With a collective voice expressing the ideals and values of our staff community we can work together with the administration to make UVM a great place to work. I believe the United Staff organization, working under the guiding principles of respect and kindness, will provide the framework to develop relationships with the administration through which we will secure our retirement, our health benefits and allow us an avenue for active participation in our workplace.”
Carol Caldwell-Edmonds, Computer Depot
Marilyn Eldred, Administrative Coordinator, Physics
“I support a staff union because I see it as a logical way for staff to have a collective voice in deciding our future. A staff union would provide a mechanism to truly help UVM and further President Fogel’s vision. As stated in the email we received from him July 6, 2004, “In May the UVM Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed the Vision, the Strategic Plan, and the Strategic Financial Plan for the University of Vermont. That vote set the course to establish UVM as the nation’s premier small public research university.”
Sarah Goodrich, Communications Coordinator, Plant Biology
“UVM is a great place to work… and we need a union! Working conditions don’t have to be awful to unionize. I want to see representation for UVM staff so that we have a voice in the decision making process that determines our salaries, benefits, and working conditions. Such important decisions just shouldn’t be left in someone else’s hands. The UVM faculty, maintenance and custodial staff, and police services have all taken the step to unionize. That leaves us, the clerical and technical staff, the only group on campus without union representation–and that is a very vulnerable position to be in. It’s time we join the ranks of the unionized at UVM and have a place at the bargaining table just like everyone else.”
Bev Cooper - Sociology
Susan Martel, Kelly Allen, - Psychology “We support the union because it will give us a voice in our workplace.”
Mike Hamblin, Marilyn Eldred, Hollis Robinson, Denise Fontaine - Chemistry and Physics
Beth Beers, Medical Technologist, Center for Health and Wellbeing “I think with our union there will be more accountability in the way decisions are made. With greater fairness and equity UVM will be a better place to work.”
Sarah Kingsley-Richards, Research Technician, Plant & Soil Science
“Staff need to maintain their voice and place within a changing and growing university. I see this union as a way to put more strength in our voice as we move forward. Beyond salary or benefits, we need respect and social equity throughout the UVM community.”
Mary Ellen Walker, Lab/Research Technician, Pathology
“I work for a very good PI, but I have come to realize that not all the staff at UVM are treated with the same level of professionalism. I support the union because I want to maintain the health and retirement benefits we have. I also want everyone to be able to utilize the benefits like career development training we are entitled to now but not always allowed to use. All staff members should receive a livable wage and be paid comparable to what they would be paid at peer institutions. I would encourage every staff member to educate themselves about the union effort. ”
Todd Clason, Lab/Research Technician, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
“Moving to organize our professional community is an important decision. I encourage every professional staff member to meet with a union representative to gain perspective on what organizing for a professional contract has to offer. I am very happy with my job as a technician in the College of Medicine, and yet I know that every one of the benefits I depend on is completely arbitrary. I would like to see my flexible schedule, healthcare, and tuition remission protected by a legal contract with the University. I believe the professional staff of the University of Vermont is highly motivated and skilled, and I think it is time that we had a voice in the decisions that affect our future.”
Richard Paradis, Researcher/Analyst, Environmental Program
“Establishing union representation for staff will provide us with an opportunity to develop a greater participatory role in determining our future at UVM and will place us on much more equitable footing when negotiating salary, benefits, and other elements of our employment with the administration.”
Nick Ogrizovich, Technical Support Specialist, Academic Support Programs
“The time has come for us to not simply see the glass as half-full, but to see it as being deliberately kept half-empty by an administration that is holding the keys to the water truck. We must not ask for liveable wages, but DEMAND them. We need to act now; the breaking point has already arrived for many of us. When will it arrive for you?”
William Gay, Services Support Supervisor, UVM Bookstore
“As an employee of UVM since 1977 and as a graduate, I value greatly my experience here. That said, I also feel that everyone’s high hopes for the future of the University will be undermined by a hierarchy out of touch with the people whose efforts drive this institution. We have a right to be heard, as well as an obligation.”
Laurel Cameron, Academic Service Professional Sr., Academic Service Programs
“One of the many reasons I believe in having a union for staff is due to the phenomenal amplification of the expected workload versus the resources available on campus. This increase is seriously contributing to burn out which I have witnessed all over campus. This unfortunate pattern detriments the amount of long term, experienced staff who want to remain especially when they are then expected to train newcomers who are earning more with less direct experience. This cycle inevitably can result in a lack of morale. A union could give staff a more direct way of stating what issues staff believe are important and to make things happen. We need a way to move forward and implement systems for better wages without a cut to other areas and most importantly a staff who is proud to work for a more successful and happy student body!”
Sylvia Bugbee, Library Professional, Bailey/Howe Library
“A member of the very successful staff union at Harvard told us that the union made their university better, not just for the staff it organized, but for the university community as a whole. I’m proud to have been a part of this university since undergraduate days, and I am proud to be a part, through the union, of making it a better place.”
Kathy Carolin, Department Administrative Coordinator, History
“I’ve worked for the University for over ten years. I love my job and the people I work with. I’ve decided to support the union effort so that we have a voice in decisions that affect our work lives. We need to have our benefit package in writing so that items can’t be taken away arbitrarily, and a fair and equitable way to address problems so that UVM is a great place to work for everyone.”
Leslie Barchard, Student Services Specialist, Community Development and Applied Economics
“I have worked and studied at UVM for many years. I am a proud employee and fortunate to have opportunities provided by the university. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for everyone. I have worked on committees where staff have planned events, yet were not allowed the flexibility to attend them. I want to work in an environment where staff have full support for professional development; where supervisors acknowledge and support the connection between office productivity and satisfied, motivated, and appreciated staff. Equal opportunities can only happen when everyone has a voice. I support the union as an instrument for assuring that dialogue will happen through collective bargaining and we will be heard.”
Dale Thibault, Business Manager, Communication Sciences
“Having been employed at the University for 23 years, I have served on many university committees and searches. The staff and the administration worked side by side for many years and got a lot accomplished. However, this is no longer true. We, the staff, make this university a great place to earn an education, yet our benefits are decreasing and our salary is not increasing. We need to make sure that our jobs are secure with salary, benefits and equal opportunities for all clerical, professional and technical staff. It is time for a union.”
Christina Krupp, Library Support Senior, Bailey/Howe Library
“Without a contract, we are in a vulnerable position: the University makes the salary and benefit decisions, and we must passively comply. As we saw last year, co-pays can go up and prescription plans can change dramatically, with very little advance notice. As for salaries, it’s getting to the point where we feel like charity cases each year on July 1st when the Administration doles out our pittance of a raise. Remember 1994, when UVM decided they couldn’t afford to give us a raise that year? Without a negotiated contract, it may happen again! Since other sectors of UVM faculty and staff are already organized, we need to protect ourselves by making sure we are also represented at the bargaining table.”
Lida Douglas, Information Technology Professional, Dana Medical Library:
“Since I started working at UVM 23 years ago, the benefits package has deteriorated in many ways. Salary has not kept up with inflation, health insurance premiums and co-pays have been instituted, and retirement benefits can now be ‘terminated without prior notification’. We need to have a strong and united voice in determining the priorities that affect our lives.”
Dawn Pelkey, Administrative Professional, Health Promotion Research:
“Forming a union at UVM will level the playing field for all workers. Instead of unilateral decisions regarding our working conditions, salaries and benefits, we can negotiate something that is fair for everyone. After hearing empty promises from the administration for the past 20 years, it is time to take action towards positive change. United Staff can accomplish these goals.”
Jane Hendley, Collections Assistant; Bailey/Howe Library:
“I have been working here since 1985 full-time and have seen a steady erosion in benefits and raises, coupled with statements to the effect that we are lucky to have what we have. Staff as a whole have been told that we are doing a good job and help create the University’s good reputation. There is a disconnect here! It is demoralizing to see good work rewarded in this fashion. I am working for a union because we will have more control over wages, benefits, and working conditions, and our morale and satisfaction with our jobs will be better.”