USA members,

Last week the presidents of the UMass unions were called to a meeting in President Wilson's office in Boston where we were briefed on the problems facing the university for FY10 should there be additional 9C cuts from the Governor and the devastating cuts expected for FY11 unless revenues are increased. If the state had kept the income tax rate at 5.95%, rather than reducing it to 5.3%, an additional $9 billion could have tucked away in the past 6 years, an amount equal to the two year revenue loss the state is currently experiencing. It is the most progressive way to raise revenues because the more you make the more you pay so the middle class is not burdened with the brunt of taxes. Our legislators are fearful of raising taxes as they say that voters don't want them to raise taxes, well no one wants to pay more taxes but the reality is that without all of us paying our fair share then some of us could possibly lose our jobs. The Massachusetts FY10 budget signed by the Governor provides enough money to nearly level fund UMass for the coming year (unless there are further 9C cuts). To achieve that funding, nearly ALL of the federal stimulus money was used, leaving almost none for next year. Unless there is more revenue in the state, we are facing serious budget problems one year from now (potentially $25 million or more). In addition to saving jobs by raising revenues we would be able to help save the social services that many of us rely upon for our elder parents and in some cases for our families. In the upcoming months we are going to be meeting with our area legislators and hope to have them to one of our membership meetings so you can tell them your stories but don't wait for that to be coordinated feel free to call your legislators and talk to them about raising revenues by starting with the income tax rate. If we all work together to resolve the problems our state faces then maybe we can do our part in keeping UMass alive and our coworkers employed. I have always tried to keep you informed without being an alarmist but right now things are so tentative that I feel it is important that we be vocal advocates for revenue corrections in the state. The jobs we save may be our own, I know many of you will disagree with raising revenues but I truly believe that this is the price we have to pay to live in this Commonwealth. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

In solidarity,

Donna Johnson

President USA

Donna Johnson

President, USA

413-545-4862- office

413-427-3867- cell

If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking,eventually you'll make progress. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/barackobam168698.html> BarackObama