By Jaclyn Pittsley, President –

We all may be approaching the point of irredeemable exhaustion as we approach the end of a third semester, or one year, battling the exigencies of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have heard from many members over the last year regarding their concerns about students, their work, workload, performance programs, evaluations, student evaluations, and their lives. Even as vaccines are becoming more available, our members are still struggling with their own eligibility, finding access to a vaccine, and keeping their family members safe as they wait to become vaccinated.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone most sincerely for all that you have done over the past year, from the major program changes, to the pedagogical overhauls, to the smallest kindnesses you have shown others. So often over the past many months, not only the smallest boons but the largest commodities have been worked by heroes unsung and unrecognized.

So, again, I thank you all.

I feel our members are also starving for positive news locally and statewide that might permit some measure of relief on this, the cusp of springtime and a new beginning for our community. Our members want to know the way forward.

One Good Piece of News:

• I am pleased to inform you that UUP has just reached agreement with GOER to extend the state-wide Telecommuting Pilot Program through Friday, July 2, 2021.

This means those working remotely for their own safety and that of their families, who are dealing with family and childcare issues, remote learning for their children, will not have to hurriedly plan for other arrangements. UUP does advise that folks begin to think about arrangements for the summer and preparing to return to work on July 3, or to be back on campus no later the fall; currently, the fall schedule for academic course delivery is planned to be entirely in-person, excepting those courses routinely taught on-line.

We are still working with Management and awaiting guidance from the Center for Disease Control, the Governor’s office, and our own County Health Department as the summer nears and we all wait hopefully for vaccines to become widely available and accessible to all. UUP will keep folks posted on the situation.

Additionally,

• UUP is pleased to hear from our Labor-Management meetings that enrollment numbers at Cortland are the highest of all of the SUNY comprehensive colleges, at over 9,500 applicants.

While paid deposits remain low compared to previous years, it is exiting to know that SUNY Cortland remains a focal point of public higher education in New York State. It is also important that it is an indicator that members’ jobs may be somewhat secure for fall.

More Good News:

• During recent Labor-Management meetings, UUP and Management have discussed the feasibility of utilizing the Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule Program to help retain Part-Time faculty who are facing reduced course loads and non-renewal. The subject of this discussion involves coming up with a way of matching the funds saved through VRWS to employ adjuncts that is both possible and fiscally responsible. Please know that this is NOT something UUP and Management have agreed WILL be done. The conversations are just beginning, and NO specific plans have been agreed upon.  We only know that it MAY be possible.  The first step in continuing this conversation is knowing if Full-Time members are interested in participating.

If you are a Full-Time employee member and are interested in using VRWS to assist your fellow members in retaining their jobs, please inform UUP by emailing us at united.universityprofessions@cortland.edu, with the subject line: VRWS for Part Timers.

What I find particularly heartening and useful about this first step, which may become a reality, or may not move beyond a concept, is that it indicates Management is cognizant of the hardships that our members continue to endure. Cortland has had to make difficult decisions about class sizes and employee retention over the last year that have seriously impacted our members – not just because they may not be teaching as many courses – but because they may have no jobs (and no health insurance) at all.

We have been asked throughout this pandemic to be aware of everyone’s need for grace, and I find this positive first step an indicator of Management’s interest in extending the hand of grace to those of our community who have been most affected by the pandemic. We are all in this together.

Speaking of health care,

Other Good News:

• The federal government will pay 100 percent of COBRA insurance premiums for eligible employees who lost their jobs and for their covered relatives through September, allowing them to stay on their company-sponsored health plan, under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that President Joe Biden signed into law on March 11.  While the details of this new legislation are still being assessed by UUP Statewide, UUP strongly encourages you to reach out to Human Resources if you believe you might be eligible for this important benefit.

• UUP has also been hard at work on our legislative agenda, NY HEALS. We having been talking to our legislators about important revenue builders, to ensure that federal stimulus monies do not become the ONLY assistance higher education receives to help rebuild their universities in the post-pandemic environment. Our volunteer members have been writing virtual letters, phone-banking, talking with legislators and rallying to support sustainable, responsible subsidies for public higher education. Please view the ongoing legislative agenda information here: https://uupinfo.org/legislation/pdf/UUP21StateLegAgenda.pdf

Keeping Abreast of Housekeeping:

• UUP has developed our electronic Salary Compression Intake Form to gather information and questions/concerns related to the 2020 salary compression adjustments. This intake form is NOT to be used in lieu of directing members to Human Resources when they have questions about their specific situations. It is meant to assist UUP in identifying issues that may require review and discussion with SUNY at the campus and state levels.  If you would like to complete an intake form, the deadline for submitting it is May 1. If you have specific questions about your own Discretionary Salary Compression Increase, please contact Human Resources.

• The UUP Academic Workload Survey closed on March 16. We are proud to announce that we have had 188 respondents from among the Academic Faculty, and we are preparing to utilize those results moving forward in conversations with Management about Workload, especially as it relates to the current imposed hiring freeze.

• IT’S ELECTION TIME! Please do visit the Cortland Chapter Website to read the candidates’ statements and fill out your ballot. Your voice is important, and it can be heard if you mail in your election ballot. It must reach UUP’s central office by April 26.

Coming Soon…

It’s important that you, our members, know UUP is continuing to work hard to meet the needs of its members. We will continue to seek out information from you, our members, and we will continue to work with Management to improve our terms and conditions of employment. Very, very soon, UUP will begin planning for a new round of contract negotiations, so we will need your input now more than ever before.

At the End of the Day,

it is our union, and we will continue to guide public higher education onward, beyond the pandemic – while never forgetting those it’s touched – using inclusive, thoughtful, graceful methods that are beneficial to all of us.