Update on Spring 2022 Bargaining

We want to provide an update on bargaining related to the health, safety, and other working conditions surrounding the return for Spring 2022 with the ongoing Covid pandemic particularly with the Omicron variant. We have had several bargaining sessions with administration held jointly with NTT and GAU.First, we want to acknowledge and celebrate the Chancellor’s directive moving many of the first week of classes online to allow for the testing of all students, faculty and staff to be done in a more orderly fashion. This was a direct outcome of the work of our bargaining team. This isn’t what we demanded nor do we believe our work is done– but bargaining is ultimately about finding common ground.Moving forward, the situation remains fluid. Depending on a variety of factors, there is always a possibility that there may be some extension of online instruction. We have heard from many of you about the challenges this poses for your pedagogy and programs and we have heard you. We have expressed concerns to administration about the way in which the list of face-to-face courses was determined and produced. If there is an extension, we will make sure that there is additional opportunity for those that feel that face-to-face instruction is vital to their pedagogical needs to request such opportunity. We will closely monitor how such determinations are made by admin.We are working on a number of other issues to expand the health and safety protocols to make the return to campus and the classroom as safe as possible. Please know that we are working to represent the constituency and its diverse views in our bargaining. Our hopes remain that admin will work with us to allow for the safest and most pedagogically sound return to instruction, following the guidance of the masters of the pedagogy, the instructors of the courses. We will continue to fight and continue to push. If you have any PPE requirements please request them ASAP of your local administrator. We have been told there are enough surgical-style and cloth masks to fully cover campus. N-95s are also available on a first come first served basis.Please let us know if you have additional comments or questions.

In solidarity,

Jeff Punske, Impact Bargaining Team Leader