More than 300 people marched in Amherst on August 27. They were calling for jobs with justice. “For more than a year, UMass has dragged out bargaining a new contract with the 2,400 members of the Professional Staff Union, which represents staff members at both the Amherst and Boston campuses and includes social workers, residence directors, and other staff throughout all areas of campus,” Ari Jewell told the Valley Post. Jewell is one of the workers.

UMass Boston has 16,000 students. UMass Amherst has 32,000 students. The workers have a web site at:

https://umasspsu.org

On August 13 spokeswomen for two land trusts told the Valley Post their groups had helped permanently protect 2,900 acres of forest from development. The land will be logged but the trees will grow back and one day the land could be protected from logging, if enough people protest.

On July 30, the workers at the food co-ops in Northampton and the neighboring town of Easthampton announced they had a victory when they signed a new union contract with management. A total of about 240 people work at the two co-ops. “Every worker has received a $2 per hour pay bump, raising the starting wage from $18 an hour to $20 an hour,” a spokesperson for the workers said. There are other victories in the contract. Photos of picket lines that helped win the contract are at:

https://imgur.com/a/river-valley-co-op-informational-pickets-J4iqoOj

On August 6 in the Pioneer Valley town of Easthampton, there will be a march against nuclear bombs. The march leaves the food co-op at 4 p.m. and ends at Nashawannuck pond. Details are available via www.traprock.org.

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Brattleboro's garbage goes to a landfill in the so-called Northeast Kingdom, home of Vermont's famous Jay Peak scandal. (Details are available by doing an internet search for “Jay Peak scandal” and keeping in mind that Vermont is home to just 600,000 people.)

There will be a rally to protest Trump on July 17 at 4 p.m. at the gazebo in Park Square in the Pioneer Valley town of Westfield, which borders Holyoke. One of the groups that's promoting the event is the Women's March. In 2017, the group organized what, at the time, was the biggest one-day protest in US history. About 1 million people marched in Washington, DC and another 2 million marched in cities like LA and New York and in small towns like Brattleboro, and towns and cities throughout the Pioneer Valley. Details about the 2025 Westfield rally are at: https://GoodTroubleLivesOn.org.

In Northampton, 122 acres of farmland has been saved. The USA is losing 6,000 acres of open space to development every day. Europe offers a model for how to protect open space. Details on the Northampton deal are at:

https://www.kestreltrust.org/vollinger-farm-in-northampton-conserved-for...

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On June 3 outside the hospital in Northampton about 200 nurses and their supporters held a union rally for justice, a union spokesperson told the Valley Post. The workers have a web site at www.MassNurses.org.

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In Northampton and the neighboring town of Easthampton on June 1, workers at River Valley Co-op held a rally for justice. About 150 people were there, despite rain. Details are available by contacting the workers via their web site www.ufcw1459.com.

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About 80 people were at a pro-democracy rally in the Pioneer Valley town of Northfield on May 24, Al Norman told the Valley Post. Norman has lived in Greenfield for decades. He led a successful movement to keep Walmart out of Greenfield. He runs a group that has a web site at https://sprawl-busters.com.

On June 14 in Springfield, Northampton, Greenfield, and Brattleboro, there will be marches and rallies to protest Trump. Details are at www.NoKings.org.

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On May 13 in the Pioneer Valley town of South Hadley, about 100 janitors, dishwashers, other workers, and supporters held a rally. “This is my second year working at Mount Holyoke college," Philip Bernashe told the Valley Post in a voice phone interview on May 21. He is one of 170 workers at the college who are members of a union, SEIU Local 32BJ.

On May 13 in the Pioneer Valley town of South Hadley, about 100 janitors, dishwashers, other workers, and supporters held a rally. “I've worked as a cook at Mount Holyoke for seven years – it will be eight years in August,” Rich Sugrue told the Valley Post in a voice phone interview on May 16. He is one of 170 workers at the college who are members of a union, SEIU Local 32BJ.