Dear Colleagues,
The most important concern of UUP is the health and safety of our members.
I am pleased to announce that the Buffalo Center UUP has reestablished the Chapter’s Health and Safety Committee to help with your concerns and questions regarding working on campus. You can find the list of members, their departments, and their building locations on the UUP Buffalo Center Webpage (http://uuphost.org/buffalo/), under the “About” section – “Health and Safety Committee Members”.
As of today, there is much that is unclear, and many questions that currently do not have answers; as no final decision has been made with regard to having members return to campus. The “Modified – In Person” model proposed by the University is currently awaiting approval from either SUNY or the Governor.
As a reminder, you can refer to the recent UUP Guidelines for Reopening which covers in greater detail, UUP’s position on members returning to campus. This document has been shared with UB Administration.
We expect that there will be members who have specific concerns once a final decision is made to return to campus.
Various departments are currently considering options for having staff return to campus in preparations for the Fall semester. Some these plans may involve having staff report to work from the telecommuting option. Members first need to be notified of what their Department’s plan is to have members return to work. These would include: any additional barriers placed, cleaning frequencies and procedures, personal protective equipment, and whether or not they may personally be considered a high risk individual. Members are encouraged to then discuss their concerns with their Supervisor and the possibility of continuing the telecommute option.
While we await the final approval for the proposed plan, I would like to encourage you to please send any general health and safety questions or concerns to either myself, or any member of the Health and Safety Committee. While there may not yet be a specific answer to your question, we have begun collecting these to forward to the University.
In Solidarity,
Ken Kern
Chapter President
UUP Buffalo Center