With few exceptions, every three years PSU members bargain with management to negotiate for a fair contract. The bargaining process is, in many ways, the culmination of what it means to be a union. Bargaining is the forum through which we articulate what we deserve, and our contract is the bedrock of our rights as workers and union members.

For this interview, I got to sit down with Unit B’s bargaining team members, Mike Dufresne and Brad Turner (who is also PSU Amherst’s co-chair, along with Andrew Gorry), to discuss everything from whether or not protest is still possible under Chancellor Reyes to how Unit B’s contract differs from Unit A’s, to the abysmal working conditions faced by assistant food managers on campus.

There have been so many stormy upheavals at UMass Amherst over the past few years, and the pace of change has been so unrelenting, that it’s worth pausing and taking a moment to reflect on all we’ve been through together. Storms are, by their nature, disorienting, and you may be wondering whether PSU has lost its way, become distracted by side issues, or has sacrificed its core values and main constituency. While the three of us can only speak for ourselves, we hope that our perspective is useful as you continue to help steer the course of our union.