UVM STAFF UNITED IN THE PRESS
March 6, 2025 : UVM institutes hiring freeze amidst federal funding “uncertainty”
Ellen Kaye, the co-president of UVM Staff United, says workers have already been struggling to cope with chronic understaffing and worries the sudden decision could spread employees too thin. She says the union, which represents roughly 1,500 staff on campus, was not informed of the freeze or given a justification.
March 5, 2025 : With federal funding at risk, UVM announces 60-day hiring freeze
“What this means to us is that there are departments, including my own, where we are taking up the slack from unfilled positions,” said Kaye, a cataloguer at the Howe Library. The union, which was not directly informed of the hiring freeze, is concerned about the haste of the decision and the justification behind it, according to Kaye. “We have had no evidence, nothing presented that says that any of UVM funds have been curtailed,” she said.
September 10, 2024 : Dual protests at Convocation over livable wages, divestment
UVMSU was urging UVM to provide livable wages for its workers, said Ellen Kaye, co-president of UVMSU. Kaye said contract negotiations with the University that began in February are now at an impasse, and the two parties are now working through a mediator in order to reach a deal.
August 9, 2024 : UVM President Garimella to Leave for University of Arizona
"We are the feet on the ground, the people who are frontline doing the daily work, and we know exactly what is needed," Kaye said. "I would like to see kindness and humanity restored to UVM in its next president and next administration."
July 15, 2024 : UVM Staff Union Asks University to Reinstate Mental Health Positions
A labor union is asking the University of Vermont to reinstate six staff members whose jobs were abruptly terminated on June 17, saying the school is putting students at risk by reducing wellness services while mental health on campus is a major concern.
June 28, 2024 : UVM Staff United demands better pay & more respect in Waterman Building rally
Members of the University of Vermont Staff United held a rally inside their administrator’s offices on Thursday while demanding higher pay and more respect. The Union’s contract with the school ends on Sunday, and the two sides are set to meet at the bargaining table three weeks from now.
June 27, 2024 : UVM nonfaculty union members stage ‘work-in’ over stalled contract talks
“We know that we’re the top talent of the university. We’re here to make our talents visible to upper administration, to show them what we’re working on,” said the union’s Claire Whitehouse.
June 18, 2024 : Claire Whitehouse and Ellen Kaye: Making UVM a great place to work
“UVM’s refusal to offer fair wages is nothing new. The university has long controlled its costs on the backs of staff. UVM responded to the 2008 economic crisis by laying off staff and ending the practice of meaningful annual raises. Over the past decade it has doubled its research dollars and grown undergraduate enrollment by 27%, yet the administration takes the same approach to drafting its budgets: tightening our belts while loosening their own.”
June 14, 2024 : UVM staff union back at bargaining table for higher wages in new contract
“We want young people who are just starting in their careers to see a future here at this university, and we want the people who've been working here for decades to be able to retire. So we need fair wages, we need a fair contract,” Ishee said. “That's why we're out here.”
May 19, 2024 : UVM class of 2024 celebrates graduation without commencement speaker
Students weren’t the only ones using their voices. Union members with UVM Staff United gathered near the commencement stage, demanding livable wages. “We’re here to let students and parents know what’s going on,” UVM Staff United Co-President Claire Whitehouse said. “This is the labor market students are graduating into.”
May 3, 2024 : UVM Staff United holds May Day rally
On May 1 at 11:45 a.m., UVM Staff United gathered on the Howe Library steps for their May Day rally, along with UVM Graduate Students United, United Academics and supporters.
May 2, 2024 : UVM Medical Center nurses rally for wage increase in new contract
Negotiations between the nurses’ union and the UVM Medical Center are heating up ahead of a new bargaining period. Hundreds of nurses walked off the job back in 2018 … On Wednesday, they rallied again with a similar message in hopes of avoiding another strike.
May 2, 2024 : Nurses, union workers and UVM Staff United rally for fair contracts
UVM Staff United’s Office Support Generalist, Cameron Ishee, said, “Wages have been stagnant as cost of living rises, and we are in need of a change at this university.”
May 1, 2024 : Five Unions Rally at UVM, Uniting Across Issues and Bargaining Units
Today, five unions representing many of the workers at the University of Vermont and the UVM Medical Center met to rally and support each other’s common struggles. Members of UVM Staff United, United Academics, and Graduate Students United marched from the steps of Howe Library, next to the Palestine solidarity encampment, to the Fleming Green.
May 1, 2024 : Vermont unions and advocacy groups celebrate International Workers' Day
In Burlington, unions at the University of Vermont and the UVM Medical Center also came together to support each other as they're in contract negotiations. “It is International Workers' Day today all over the world," said Ellen Kaye, co-president of UVM Staff United.