Ask anyone who’s lived in Amherst more than five years and they’ll tell you the same thing: the people who keep this town running are invisible until something breaks, your street floods, the snow piles up, or a water main bursts. Suddenly you remember that the Amherst Department of Public Works exists, and you’re grateful they do.
But here’s what most residents don’t know: the DPW union has been working without a contract for over seven months, and they’re fighting for something that should be basic: living wages and decent working conditions.
On Monday, March 2, at 6 p.m., they’re holding a rally in front of Town Hall. If you live in Amherst, you should know why.
The People Who Keep Amherst Running
The Amherst Department of Public Works isn’t glamorous. It’s not the kind of job that gets celebrated at town meetings or makes the front page of the Amherst Indy unless something goes wrong. But DPW workers are the ones who:
- Plow our roads in the middle of winter so we can get to work and school
- Fix water mains and maintain the infrastructure that keeps our taps running
- Haul away our trash and recycling every week
- Maintain the parks and public spaces where we walk, bike, and gather
- Respond to emergencies when storms hit or pipes burst
These are essential workers. Without them, Amherst stops functioning. And yet, according to community members who’ve written in support of the workers, they’ve been negotiating for a fair contract since August 2025 without success.
Seven Months Without a Contract
The Amherst DPW Workers Association (ADPWA) is asking for something straightforward: living wages and better working conditions. In a town where the cost of living keeps climbing, where rent eats up more of your paycheck every year, and where a single unexpected expense can tip a family into crisis, living wages aren’t a luxury demand. They’re a survival issue.
Think about it: the people who maintain our town’s infrastructure often can’t afford to live in the town they’re maintaining. That’s not a sustainable situation. It’s not fair to the workers, and it’s not good for the town either. When you can’t pay people enough to live where they work, you lose experienced workers to other towns, and you struggle to recruit new ones.
The rally on March 2 is the union’s way of saying: we’ve been patient. We’ve negotiated in good faith. Now we need the town to listen.
About The Rally
The rally starts at 6 p.m. in front of Town Hall on Boltwood Avenue. A special Town Council meeting follows at 7 p.m., though the posted agenda only includes an executive session, which means the union may not get a chance to directly address the council. That’s part of why the rally matters. It’s a public statement: we’re here, we’re essential, and we deserve to be heard.
If you live in Amherst, you have a choice on Monday night. You can ignore it, or you can show up. You can stand with the people who keep your town running. You can be the person who remembers that labor isn’t abstract, that fairness matters, and that the people who do the work deserve to be paid fairly for it.
Beyond the DPW
This isn’t just about the DPW workers, though they deserve support. It’s about what kind of town Amherst wants to be. Do we want to be a place where essential workers can afford to live? Do we want to value the people who keep our infrastructure functioning? Do we want to show up for each other when it matters?
The rally on March 2 at 6 p.m. in front of Town Hall is your chance to answer those questions with your presence.
References
- Updated: Amherst DPW Workers Will Rally for a Fair Contract (Amherst Indy, Feb 26, 2026)
- Letter: Amherst’s DPW Workers Have Our Backs, It’s Time We Had Theirs (Amherst Indy, Feb 27, 2026)
