Dear Colleagues,
In the Spring and Summer of 2020, almost all employees under the VPEM (admissions, financial aid, domestic and international admissions, etc.) were required to work weekend shifts to cover student tours. This was due to a lack of students on campus, who would normally be paid to do this work. UUP objected to this mandate, as it changed these employees’ work schedules.
When UUP could not get the Campus Administration to resolve this issue, we filed an Improper Practice charge under the Taylor Law. Work schedules are a mandatory subject of collective bargaining which means that in most instances they cannot be unilaterally changed, without negotiations with UUP.
We met with an Administrative Law Judge several times, and ultimately were able to work out a settlement agreement. This Agreement (attached) provides that what occurred in the Spring/Summer 2020 does not create a precedent. This was the settlement we proposed all along. We did that because employees were willing to make a “Covid exception” and assist with this work, but did not want it to become a permanent assignment.
Any time a change is made, and continues for 4 months, it becomes a new practice/new definition of your work. This settlement “drew a box” around what happened. But does not prohibit revisiting this issue again in the future.
Should you have any questions, please contact the Chapter at buffalocenter@uupmail.org or 716.276.3377.
In Solidarity,
Ken Kern
Chapter President
UUP Buffalo Center