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UMass and state officials meeting Monday to talk about the UMass Labor Center.

(Republican file Diane Lederman)

AMHERST -- Following a meeting in Boston last month, union leaders and University of Massachusetts officials are meeting Monday to continue to talk about ways to strengthen the Labor Center.

Mass. AFL-CIO President Steven Tolman, Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and Frank Callahan, president of the Mass. Building Trades Council, are hosting the meeting, according to an email from Workers' Rights, "to consider ways that the UMass administration, labor, and key stake holders can partner to strengthen the Labor Center so that it continues to play a leading role in advancing the cause of organized labor and Massachusetts workers for many years to come."

Former Labor Center Director Eve Weinbaum sent an email to alumni and center supporters this summer raising concerns about budget cuts and the university commitment to the program.

A petition calling on the administration to "Save the Labor Center" has 4,741 signatures.

"We are united in reaffirming our commitment to support the vital work of the UMass Amherst Labor Center," the university state in a statement issued after the Boston meeting. "For more than half a century, the center has been at the vanguard of preparing labor leaders in Massachusetts and throughout the country.

"We are resolved to work together to revitalize the Labor Center so that it maintains its status as one of the nation's best in its field.

"A number of recent reports concerning the status of the Labor Center, both in print and online, have called into question the university's commitment to Labor Studies and to the labor movement more generally. We want to jointly emphasize that the UMass administration continues to be deeply committed to the center's important work. We are all committed to restoring the program's vitality," the university stated.

In a statement about Monday's meeting, UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski wrote, "The university will reaffirm its commitment to the Labor Center and will work with stakeholders to chart a path forward that will ensure the long term viability of the center so that it will continue to play a leading role in educating the labor leaders of tomorrow."

Weinbaum, in an email, wrote, "Our alumni and labor movement leaders across the state and nationally have weighed in with strong support for the Labor Center and I think it has made a big difference and raised a lot of awareness about the issues."

She said she will attend the meeting. "I believe that the chancellor is committed to the Labor Studies program, and I am hopeful that the stakeholders will work toward a plan to strengthen our programs going forward," she wrote.

Prior to the meeting, Western Mass. Jobs with Justice and the UMass Graduate Employee Organization plans a rally at 1 p.m. on the Student Union steps.