Join the MEA Higher Education Organizing Coalition!
Maine Education Association (MEA) members throughout the University System have been collaborating to address the chronic underfunding of the University of Maine System and to chart a new and improved course for our state’s four-year public higher education system. For more than a year now, leaders from all three MEA-affiliated unions in the UMS System (UMPSA, AFUM/faculty, ACSUM/hourly workers) have worked together to analyze the System’s finances and organize for more support from the state. From January to June of this year, we lobbied in the State House repeatedly to secure the additional 4% increase for the UMS system, and we were elated when we achieved success. However, we know there is still more work to be done. The funding is one key component of our efforts, but we recognize that there are other issues that must be addressed, such as the centralization occurring in the System Office, the lack of resources allocated to the campuses, the low wages of UMPSA and ACSUM members, and much more.
The leaders of the three MEA-affiliated unions continue to build upon our success, but we are now preparing to take our message and our research directly to the candidates for Governor. In 2026, Maine people will have the opportunity to elect a new Governor, and we want to ensure that all candidates running to be the chief executive of our state hear directly from us – the frontline faculty and staff of the UMaine system. We fully expect the Chancellor and various other administrators will engage with candidates, but they also need to hear from us – the people working with our students and communities every day.
The leaders of UMPSA, AFUM, and UMPSA are currently collaborating on a plan to ensure that all candidates for Governor hear directly from us. We intend to host forums and campus visits with candidates. The MEA may also have a pre-primary endorsement process to consider supporting Democratic and Republican candidates in their respective primaries, and we will be involved in this process should it occur.
The leaders of the three unions continue to meet every two weeks over Zoom as we chart our course, organize, and implement our plans. If you are interested in joining the UMS Organizing Coalition, please contact Sara Abronze at [email protected]. We can then loop you into the great work we are doing together – the more of us there are, the stronger we will be!