Profiles of WMALF Affiliates by UMass Amherst Students

Students in Labor and Community Organizing at UMass spoke with ALF affiliates about their unions

Riley Hernandez and the Springfield Education Association (SEA) by Yacine Norris-Fall

Since Riley Hernandez’s first term as the president of the SEA began in July of 2025, he has done commendable work helping teachers, students, and families in Springfield. Mr. Hernandez first got involved with the Springfield Education Association in 2020, where he was connected with members through the Democratic Socialists of America. Mr. Hernandez taught for 10 years, and was motivated to get involved with the SEA because he wanted to help empower educators. The SEA is the official union for educators in Springfield’s public schools, and is a local affiliate for the Massachusetts teachers association. 

Mr. Hernandez won his presidential election through democratic leadership and community support. After looking at numbers from the previous election, Mr. Hernandez and his team identified people who they suspected were supportive of the campaign. They then visited buildings to pass out campaign literature, talk to members, and foster support through genuine connection. The campaign highlighted the power within the community, and the strength in numbers; they had 50 different organizers working in about 35 different school buildings. These organizers were all volunteers, motivated by compassion and solidarity. In the end, they won with 75% of the vote. 

Although he was elected very recently, we have already seen the meaningful and positive impact of Hernandez’s leadership. In the most recent union campaign, the SEA won the largest salary increase that Springfield has seen in the past two decades. The contract campaign ended in the Spring of 2025 after running an escalating campaign that started off with a super majority

petition that was signed by 88% of the membership. The petition was followed by letter writing campaigns to the school committee, walk-ins, and other forms of demonstration. Mr. Hernandez expressed that the escalating campaign did cause some tension within the school community, but 

that it was worth it for the positive outcome. Although the campaign was extremely successful in some areas, there were other key issues that were not won. The campaign was also fighting for paid family medical leave, and an increase from 10 to 15 sick days. These issues were not won this time, but regardless Hernandez continues to work around the clock to help his community in a number of ways. 

Along with his efforts to democratize and strengthen the union, Hernandez is also working hard to uplift his community during a challenging time. There is another pressing issue that Springfield is facing; the threat of ICE. The SEA is currently building relationships with community partners to help keep students and families safe from ICE workers, and possible detainment. Organizations like the Pioneer Valley Projects, Pioneer Valley Workers Center, and Neighbor to Neighbor have been strong allies throughout this struggle. Hernandez, the SEA, and the immigrant community are strengthening educator rapid defense through programs that organize member training on how to create rapid defense teams within schools. Outside of the classroom, community defense efforts have also been established. Community defense includes outreach work and material support to help families complete day to day tasks like grocery shopping, doctors appointments, and other errands that they may be scared to do alone because of the threat of detainment. The SEA has been working closely with the immigrant community to spread awareness through a button campaign, where buttons are passed out with flyers that contain information on how to get involved.

Riley Hernandez is an upstanding and inspiring leader who values democracy, community, and equity. His work with the SEA has already proven to be very beneficial for teachers, students, and families. When I asked Mr. Hernandez what led him to run for president, he replied, “I wanted to just build a more democratic fighting union.” Since his election, he has done just that, and helped his community in a multitude of ways. This is his first term as the president of the SEA, but hopefully not his last.

Caro Vera and the Amherst Cinema Workers Association (ACWU) by Upasana Joshi

The Amherst Cinema Workers United (ACWU) is an independent union representing employees at Amherst Cinema. The union was officially recognized in April 2022, with key initial issues stemming from the circumstances in 2020/2021 with COVID and National Endowment for the Arts grants cut. At the cinema, new administrative staff, layoffs, and wage issues also propelled the creation of the union. There are presently eight members consisting of front of house cinema workers. The current chairperson, Caro Vera (they/them), has worked at Amherst Cinema for two years. They have served in research and bargaining roles during a wage reopener. Later, they were elected as union steward and have most recently been elected as chairperson. 

Currently, the union is working on impact bargaining. They have been focusing on updating the handbook, as it has not been updated in a significant amount of time, especially not since the recognition of the union. One key issue is sick time policy. Prior to this, their most recent contract campaign, from February to June of 2025, focused on wage increases. The catalysts were closures of some services and subsequent layoffs. The uncertainty of the jobs, especially as part-time service workers was a large concern. Some major challenges were lack of experience and engagement. They received support and training from the Western Massachusetts Area Labor Federation (WMALF). They fought for an acknowledgement of a living wage and the rising cost of living adjustment, and achieved step raises of 3%. While not a living wage, the raises were a significant increase for their members and they hope to pursue a living wage in the future. Their contract will expire in June 2028.

If interested in learning more about this union, please visit their instagram (@amherstcinemaworkers) and reach out to Caro Versa at vercaro2022@gmail.com. 

Ethel Everett and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509 by Lena Lapson

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is an international union with membership across the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. There are close to 2 million members in the US. The Local 509 is one of the smaller locals under the SEIU with about 20 thousand members. Membership is made up of public sector workers, private sector workers that get public funding, higher education workers, and childcare workers. 

I interviewed Ethel Everett, who is very involved in union and labor work. Right now, she is the president of the Pioneer Valley Assembly which is a labor council in the community outside of Local 509. She also used to be the chapter president for DCF in Local 509. Ethel is a social worker that was very involved in her community and saw organized labor as a way she could advocate for the families she worked with as well as her community. She sees labor as a way to tie together all the issues she is passionate about and something that lets her advocate on all levels.

One of Local 509’s most recent campaigns was around the issue of immigration. The local decided to work on the immigration campaign because of an edict that came down from the international, but also it was an issue that affected their members directly. A member of the union was detained by ICE and sent to a detention center in Louisiana.

The campaign looked to educate and support members around immigration. They also tried to protect workers who might have immigration issues and make sure they are safe, and also make sure the families they serve are safe. They have also done work in making sure people understand their legal rights. Information was sent out to the membership through newsletters, resolutions, town halls, and invitations to volunteer and give hands-on support. 

The union got members involved in various ways such as voting as a board on a resolution in regards to supporting immigration justice to help set the direction for the work they wanted to do. They also did hands-on actions like sending members on “justice journeys” where members went to Louisiana to see the detention centers and participate in on-the-ground action against immigration restriction. There was a lot of community support for the union member who was detained by ICE, and the union helped her get free and come back to the community.

This campaign is ongoing as the issue is still relevant. Several people who had never been very involved became very involved in the union working on this campaign. Members of the union had the opportunity to get involved in something they were passionate about and participate in rallies, marches, and letter campaigns. Ethel said that most people first get involved in union work because they are passionate about a specific cause and then stay involved beyond that.

The best way for people to find out more about the Local 509 is to go to their website: seiulocal509.org, which has lots of information, including the current officers, how to get involved, and a list of contracts.

Jeff Jones and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1459 by Jessa Flores

The acronym UFCW stands for United Food and Commercial Workers of America. It is one of the largest unions in the US and it represents approximately 1.3 million workers from both private and public sectors. UFCW Local 1459 is a chapter of this organization that represents western Massachusetts and Vermont workers. At any one time, UFCW Local 1459 represents 42,000 – 45,000 members; the number fluctuates depending on seasonal members. Their jurisdiction covers the four western counties of Massachusetts – Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire – as well as some areas in Vermont. Their large membership and expansive influence has made UFCW Local 1459 one of the largest labor unions in western Massachusetts. On March 12, 2026 I had the privilege of interviewing the president of UFCW Local 1459, Jeff Jones. During our brief but informative conversation, I had learned a lot about the organization and its most recent contract.

Earlier this year, UFCW Local 1459 successfully secured a contract with Stop & Shop supermarkets across New England. Local 1459 collectively bargained with four other New England chapters of the UFCW, including Locals 919, 328, 371, and 1445. Campaign efforts were organized by a seven member committee who utilized a contract survey to identify the issues that matter most, including a wage increase, affordable healthcare benefits, and proper staffing. The committee also held steward-only proposal meetings (which were eventually opened up to rank-and-file members), social media campaigns, and regular public action. After back and forth talks with Stop & Shop management with significant member input, the bargaining committee was able to raise wages for Stop & Shop employees, as well as minimize the increase of health insurance premiums. They achieved a four-year deal with the contract set to expire at the end of February, 2030. Over the four-year deal, employees will experience no increase at all to their health insurance premiums during the first and fourth year, with very minimal increases during the second and third year. In the end, this deal was achieved faster than expected due to the Stop and Shop company wanting to settle, and due to the hard work and dedication of the united UFCW union members. 

The best ways to learn more about UFCW Local 1459 would be through their website or their extensive social media presence on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. Parties interested in forming unions can also reach out through the Emergency Workplace Organizing Community (EWOC) to get in contact with representatives. Members are encouraged to drop by the main office of UFCW Local 1459, which is located at 33 Eastland Street, Springfield, MA 01109 for more information.

Marc Walter and the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) by Mutasim Jahangir Chowdhury Rohan

Affiliated with the United Auto Workers (UAW), the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) represents over 2,000 graduate student workers at UMass Amherst. After organizing efforts dating back to the 1970s and finally being established formally in 1990, GEO advocates for teaching assistants, research assistants, and other graduate employees working under assistantships. 

Marc Walter is a graduate student in the Labor Studies program and an elected GEO steward. As a steward, he represents workers in his cohort by helping address workplace issues and connecting members to the broader union structure. GEO operates through a democratic system where members ultimately hold decision-making power, emphasizing union-building.

Recently, GEO centered a campaign on a grievance involving biomedical engineering workers. Upon the ratification of the 2024 contract, which called for a substantial wage increase, management reduced the working hours of employees across the board by 10%. Thereby, effectively offsetting their raise. Worker concern and dismay led GEO to file a formal grievance, which was denied at multiple steps by the university before eventually pushing the case toward arbitration. However, as the process escalated the university opted to settle before arbitration.

The outcome was a major victory for the union and affected workers. Approximately $80,000 in back pay was distributed among 24 workers, and their hours were restored moving forward. This campaign highlights several defining features of GEO’s organizing model. First, it was driven from the bottom up: workers themselves identified the issue and mobilized collectively. Second, participation was highly visible. Workers attended grievances meetings in large numbers, signaling solidarity and increasing pressure on management. Finally, the campaign demonstrated the practical power of union structures, especially outside formal contract negotiations.

Beyond the immediate monetary gains, the grievance victory also serves as an important organizing tool. By showcasing their success, GEO is able to demonstrate the tangible benefits of collective action and to encourage broader member engagement. This is especially important given the challenges we face as a union, such as high turnover among graduate workers and fluctuating participation between major campaigns. Overall, this campaign reflects GEO’s broader strategy: combining formal mechanisms like grievances with grassroots member involvement to secure meaningful improvements in working conditions.

Sheila Gilmour and the University Staff Association (USA) by Andrew Simons

The University Staff Association (USA) is an 800+ member union at the University of Massachusetts Amherst that represents clerical, technical, and administrative staff. Examples of work the union’s members do include secretarial staff, administrative assistants, IT staff, accountants, and dispatchers. The union was established on December 22, 1980; however, due to the ousting of the union’s old guard and the circumstances surrounding it, much of its history has been lost, including the reasons for its formation and the story of its formation. 

The union’s last campaign ended last July, after their previous contract had been expired for about a year. Not much transformational change was achieved in the contract, as the previous contract campaign coincided with a leadership change. The old guard of the union, who started the contract negotiations, had also been trying to play nice with the university, and by the time there was a change in leadership, it was too late in the bargaining process to win anything big. However, the new guard was able to stave off some of the worst cuts proposed in the contract. 

The change in leadership during the last contract campaign was the result of a backlash against the undemocratic, top-down way the old guard had been running the union. Prior to the election, the president of the union held almost all the power, being the only one who could speak for the union and bargain with management. The only involvement the rank-and-file membership had in the bargaining process was the ability to approve or disapprove the contract presented to them by the Union leadership. 

Sheila Gilmour is the current president of the University Staff Association, and she took over the reins of leadership during the last bargaining fight. She got involved in the Union in 2015, joining the bargaining team and helping to institute “silent bargaining,” in which non-bargaining team members would attend bargaining meetings on Zoom. “Silent bargaining” is a tool the Union uses during negotiations to get previously uninformed or unengaged members more engaged in the Union and its campaign by allowing them to witness firsthand how the Union is treated. When Shelia took over as president during the last campaign, she quickly got to work getting members more involved in the Union. This work included having the previously “silent” bargaining members give testimony to management during the last round of bargaining meetings. As well as having rank-and-file members of the union help draft proposals to bring into negotiations, including one on AI.

Since the conclusion of their last campaign, the University Staff Association has been preparing for its next round of bargaining, which will start in about a year. The Union has been using membership meetings and an independent communications team of seven to eight union members to keep the general membership informed about what’s happening with the union and prepare for negotiations. Recently, the union has been hosting more social events where members can drop in to enjoy fun activities like crafts, socialize, and build a sense of community and camaraderie.

People interested in learning more about the University Staff Association can visit their website: https://universitystaffassociation.org/about-usa/history-of-usa/. The Union is also active on social media, as listed on its website.