Frequently Asked Questions

You can verify Union membership by checking your paystub through HR Direct and confirming that “Union Dues” appears there as part of your withholdings. You can also verify by emailing pro@umass.edu or anna-claire@uaw2322.org and we can check manually.

The benefits of Union membership are myriad. First, the privilege of having a Union should never be taken for granted in the United States. Most un-unionized workers are at-will employees, which means you have very few workplace protections and little to no job security. The PRO contract guarantees all postdoc workers at UMass Just Cause, which requires the employer to abide by rigorous conditions for disciplinary action or discharge. Further, by belonging to Postdoctoral Researchers Organizing, all postdoc workers at UMass also belong to UAW 2322, our local version of the nationwide collection of Unions under UAW. As part of UAW, we are connected to an impressive number of sister Unions which collectively strengthen our power at the bargaining table and beyond. As a Union, we as a collective of workers bargain directly with the University for our contract, which determines our rights, wages, and benefits in the workplace. Over the years, PRO members (postdocs just like you) have fought for and won many of the benefits that you’ll enjoy as a UMass postdoctoral researcher.

Some of the wins fought for by postdocs like you:
•Significant raises/wage raise schedule on years experience as a postdoc
•Robust childcare reimbursements
•Health & Safety Protections
•Paid Parental Leave
•Grievance procedure
•VISA Reimbursement Fund
•Just cause for discipline or dismissal
•Dental and Vision benefits
•Anti-discrimination protections
•Payouts for unused Personal Time Off
•Discounted parking

We have all of these benefits and protections from years of PRO involvement, but we continue to bargain to keep these benefits and fight for new ones. The reason we are able to keep these benefits is because of the number of members we have. Your membership directly affects your contract. This is all possible through your participation and financial contribution via dues as a member of PRO.

Speaking of dues, how much are they and where does your membership contribution go? Mainly, it goes right back to you. With the aforementioned benefits, your membership fee pays for the union infrastructure that allows us to bargain for better benefits and continually enforce those benefits. It also comes back to you with your vote. As a member, you are able to attend and contribute to membership meetings, voice your opinion, and participate in bargaining and shape the contracts we settle. Your dues also come back to you in the form of no-cost/low-cost benefits which make working at UMass affordable and equitable. Union Members contribute 2% of their income, which comes to around $1008/year, if you are full time with 0-2 years experience as a postdoc, but earn that back (and more!) with the robust benefits afforded by the Union contract. As you can see below, postdocs save anywhere from $4,882 – $17,212 a year through benefits won and secured at the bargaining table and through contract enforcement.


Without PRO	With PRO	Additional Benefits
$4729.92/year Health Insurance Premium	$1182.48/year Health Insurance Premium	5%-15% annual raises to salary minima, based on years experience as a postdoc
$1000/year Dental Insurance	$162/year Dental Insurance	Paid Sick Time
$12,000/year Childcare Costs	$0-$2400/year Childcare Costs (childcare reimbursement through HWT Fund is typically 75%-100%)	Paid Vacation Time
$200/year Vision Insurance + $150/year frames/contacts	$0/year Vision Insurance, $0 frames/contacts	Paid Medical and Parental Leave
$289/year Parking Pass (Green Lot, other lots range from $570-$1456)	$154/year Parking Pass (Green Lot, other lots range from $63-$727)	Workplace Protections, Right to File a Grievance
$350 Visa/Visa-Related Fees	$0 (via new Visa Fund, postdocs eligible for up to $1000 in reimbursements)	Group Life Insurance, Prepaid Legal Plan
TOTAL COST TO YOU	TOTAL COST TO YOU	Paid Holidays
$18698.92	$1498.58

Postdocs earn accrued Personal Time Off, Sick Leave and Family and Medical Leave (See next question for more on FMLA)

Personal Time Off (Article 30):
Postdocs with a 100%, 12 month appointment accrue time off at the rate of one and five-twelfths (1 and 5/12) work days for each full payroll month of employment for a total of 17 days a year, and for those postdocs at less than 100%, 12 months a year, such time off will be prorated on the basis of percentage of appointment.
Time off not used within the 12-month period may be carried over into a subsequent appointment year, but the total accumulated time may never exceed 25 days.
Upon the postdoc’s separation of employment from the University, accumulated days of personal time off, up to a maximum of 25 days, shall be paid to the postdoc at their rate of pay at the time of separation.

Sick Leave (Article 31):
During the first year of employment, all postdocs with a 100%, 12-month appointment shall have 7.5 paid sick days available for use at the beginning of the appointment and an additional 7.5 paid sick leave days available for use at the beginning of the second six months of their appointment. Postdocs with less than a 100%, 12-month appointment shall have half of their total annual allotment of sick days available at the beginning of their appointment and half available at the beginning of the second half of their appointment. Please see following section to understand the sick leave accrual over the course of the year.
Postdocs with a 100%, 12-month appointment shall accrue sick leave with pay at the rate of one and one-fourth (1 and 1/4) days for each full payroll month of employment for a total of 15 days per year. For postdocs who are appointed less than a 100%, 12-month appointment, sick leave shall be pro-rated on the basis of the percentage of appointment.
Unused sick leave will be carried over to subsequent years of a postdoc’s appointment or to new appointments as a postdoc. Unlike Personal Time Off, there is no pay out option for unused sick days at the end of a postdoc’s appointment.
Please refer to the contract language in Article 31 for details on how to take sick leave.