As if 2020 wasn’t bad enough, the California State University apparently wants to test how much more miserable it could make employees come New Year.
Even as COVID-19 cases and deaths are tragically on the rise in the state, the CSU plans to slash pandemic-related benefits in 2021. Specifically, the 560 hours of potential leave allocated this year for employees to take time off work for pandemic-related reasons would be slashed to 80 hours next year.
After our Union rejected that proposal during negotiations – which included other cuts such as to emergency pay - the CSU’s current position is: Let’s meet after the holidays. This means on Jan. 2, for those who need time off to care for an elderly parent or child impacted by COVID, or those whose work requires them to be on campus but who have underlying medical conditions and should not work on-campus, these employees will be tapping into their sick or vacation hours.
As our Union’s letter to the CSU states: “The employees who will be affected by the loss of dependent care leave are often the youngest, newest, and lowest paid CSU employees. They are the future of CSU’s work force who will be sorely missed coming out of this pandemic. Medically-vulnerable employees, on the other hand, are often your most senior employees whose contributions have built this great institution. None of them deserve this shabby treatment.”
Here's the news article by the San Luis ObispoTribune.
Our CSUEU positions are:
• COVID-19 leave should be continued for vulnerable populations and families with dependent care.
• Hazard pay should be given to those employees who continue to serve on campuses that are increasingly infected. Their pay should never have ended and should be tied to the risks they experience.
• The University must properly bargain the termination of programs.
• The Union is willing to meet anytime the CSU has proposals and will authorize any leave which protects employees.
• CSUEU will take all actions necessary to protect our members, including bargaining and – if necessary – unfair labor practices.
If you support our Union's work to protect members and lift up workers' voices, please activate your union membership or renew today!
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