Member Spotlight: Amanda Dykema

Local 1072 member Amanda Dykema is a Proposal Development Manager for the University of Maryland College Park, where she helps faculty across campus secure grant funding for vital scientific and educational research. She also serves as a shop steward for her local union, advocating for her coworkers throughout campus.

Amanda first got involved with her union in 2020 when the university called non-essential staff back to campus during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerned about the health and safety of her coworkers, she joined other union members in organizing a letter-writing campaign that ultimately led the administration to walk back their decision.

That experience inspired her to get more involved. “I realized I didn’t know much about the union or how it worked,” she recalled. “So, I signed up for a steward training to learn more about our union contract and our union power.”

"I saw the difference between the power we have as individuals versus the power we have collectively,” she says. “I encourage people to join our union because that’s how we create sustainable workplaces and build the university’s mission while also fighting back cuts to research and higher education. It’s how we show that the university only runs because of us.”

Pictured: Amanda Dykema (left) with AFSCME Maryland President Patrick Moran at the Kill The Cuts rally in Washington, DC