At a time when people of color, queer and trans folks, and disabled members of our community are under attack, we must stand up for our members’ rights to work at UMass without fear. For all of our members, we want the university to prioritize remediating harm over punishing people, using progressive discipline only when needed, and making sure consequences fit the situation.
Management’s argument is that there is already a legal precedent against using bias in discipline, so it’s not necessary to include it in our contract language.
We wholeheartedly disagree. We believe it’s of the utmost importance to include language that makes it possible to uncover and address bias in discipline. We also want a Bias in Discipline Review Board—jointly chosen by the union and administration—so anyone who feels discipline is biased (based on race, gender, etc.) can appeal and have their case reviewed.
