Our state economy is booming, with nearly full employment and a strong stock market. Yet you are saying that there is a budget crisis, cuts are necessary, and hard-working state employees should not keep up with the cost of living.

Higher Education staff and faculty have been bargaining in good faith with management for many months and still you have not authorized reasonable cost of living increases.

We respectfully ask you to acknowledge that the high quality professional services we provide can’t be maintained without adequate funding. The quality and the great reputation of UMass are at stake

Please assist us by authorizing reasonable and fair cost of living increases for state higher education staff and faculty, and all other state workers, and encourage the Legislature to quickly approve them.