COVID Impacts Bargaining and Return to Campus Update
Members have many questions about the Fall semester and what our return to campus will look like. We want to pass along the information that is available at this point.
Impacts Bargaining
Impacts bargaining is bargaining over the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on faculty working conditions. This is not the same as contract negotiations nor is this bargaining over concessions, which the District is no longer seeking.
Our Union’s primary focus in impacts bargaining for Spring 2020 was to make sure faculty were not penalized by the emergency shutdown. We negotiated and won protections for all faculty’s load, pay, and benefits.
Our Union’s primary focus in impacts bargaining for Fall 2020 and beyond is around the following:
- Safety and other realities of an eventual return to campus
- Access to training and equipment/supplies necessary to deliver effective remote instruction
- Hold harmless for classes/enrollment
- Re-employment rights for part-time faculty
- Leave options for faculty impacted by COVID whether directly or indirectly
We have not yet reached agreement with the District on the items outlined above; in fact this week they have delayed engagement on these issues which undermines efforts to have an agreement in place by the time the semester begins. We are scheduled to meet again next week.
Return to Campus
As the realities of the pandemic continue to be ever-changing, so too do the guidelines that impact what our return to campus will look like. The most recent guidelines from SF Department of Public Health are very restrictive. As of now, they appear to preclude a return to campus for just about all of our campus-based classes.
We will continue to press the District to communicate plans to the college community as they evolve. AFT will work to ensure that any plans for a return to campus prioritize the health and safety of our members.
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