Dear Colleagues:

As the possibility of vaccination against COVID 19 becomes a reality for many of our members, we are receiving questions from across the state, both about gaining access to vaccines from those who want to be vaccinated as soon as possible, and from those concerned that SUNY will mandate vaccination for UUP-represented SUNY employees.  Let me address the latter issue first.  

We are not advocating for mandatory vaccination of UUP-represented employees.  We understand that our members have widely divergent and deeply held opinions on the question of whether or when to be vaccinated.  In addition, neither SUNY, or the State more broadly, are advocating for mandatory vaccination of SUNY employees specifically, or State employees generally.  Right now,  the State’s efforts have been entirely focused on getting vaccinations into the arms of those who want the vaccine given ongoing supply chain issues, and public health education campaigns to encourage voluntary vaccination.   It remains the case that the number of people interested in being vaccinated voluntarily vastly outstrips the current available supply of vaccine.

While UUP is not advocating for mandatory vaccination of UUP-represented employees, we absolutely support voluntary vaccination of all of our academic and professional members.  Extensive voluntary vaccination of our membership is critical for ensuring that our members, our families, and our communities are protected.  UUP is aggressively advocating to ensure that all forward-facing higher education employees are included in the NYS 1b category for vaccination eligibility.  While there is more work to be done, we are proud that our efforts in this regard have opened up current eligibility for many of our members.  As vaccine supply and distribution across the State improves, we will continue our work to ensure that all of our members will be able to be vaccinated as soon as possible.

We also actively support chapter level efforts to work with your campuses and/or local health departments to the extent possible to support on campus vaccination campaigns.  These efforts should include providing our members who have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines with information to make informed decisions on whether to be vaccinated.  To assist in this regard, I am pleased to provide you with the attached UUP COVID-19 Vaccination Statement. This statement contains valuable information answering frequently asked questions about the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.   

Finally, I would like to thank the UUP Ad Hoc Health and Safety Committee and the University at Buffalo Health and Safety Committee for their invaluable work in developing this statement.

In solidarity,
Fred