Unions Press UMass Board On Fee Hikes

Members of unions representing staff and faculty at the University of Massachusetts-Boston are pushing to roll back recent fee increases.

The UMass board of trustees voted in June to raise the cost of attending the school system by up to 5 percent for in-state undergraduates, the first increase in three years.

Representatives of the Professional Staff Union, the Faculty Staff Union and the Classified Staff Union say they'll attend the board's Wednesday meeting to press their case.

The unions said raising the cost of attending UMass-Boston runs counter to the mission of serving urban students pursuing higher education.

Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg has also asked the university to reconsider the hikes.

University officials have pushed for more funding, saying it could offset the need for the fee hikes.