Resolution to Protect the Health & Safety of Stony Brook Employees - 
Delay Phase 5 Reopening

Whereas Article 43 of the UUP contract mandates that issues of health and safety fall under the joint purview of UUP and management;      
 
Whereas the health and safety of the Stony Brook community is a priority of the UUP Member Action Coalition at Stony Brook;       

Whereas more than 397,000 cases of COVID-19, and at least 90 deaths, have been directly related to US colleges and universities;

Whereas the new sequence variants of SARS-CoV2, such as the South African B.1.351 variant, are more contagious, provide unknown levels of resistance to both naturally acquired and vaccine acquired immunity, and are now circulating on Long Island; 

Whereas under New York State’s current phased vaccine distribution plan, in-person college faculty and instructors are eligible to receive the vaccine under group 1b, but professional employees, including essential workers who have been on campus throughout the duration of the pandemic or who work closely with students, are not considered eligible -- and even eligible employees still struggle to find appointments to receive vaccinations to protect against COVID-19;

Whereas the Telecommuting Agreement that was negotiated between SUNY and UUP extends to April 2, 2021;

Whereas there has been messaging from SUNY Stony Brook administration regarding “return to work” in person that is inconsistent with the telecommuting agreement, and many professionals are reporting that their supervisors expect them to return as early as March 1;

Whereas the decision to return to work in person disregards the safety concerns of underrepresented communities, multi-generational households, and those who have suffered the loss of loved ones at disproportionately high rates during this pandemic -- in particular, students for whom there is still no clear schedule for vaccination eligibility;

Whereas contingent employees in particular feel undue pressure to return from remote work when asked even when they are unsafe doing so;

Whereas many professional employees utilize shared work/office spaces that make social distancing guidelines for in-person meetings with students and visitors impossible to follow; 

Whereas the University has continued to function effectively, meeting the needs of Stony Brook University students, even while many professional and academic employees have worked 100% remotely since March of 2020;  now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that the Stony Brook Member Action Coalition (MAC):

1. calls upon Statewide UUP to continue to demand that professional staff who work face-to-face with students be granted the same vaccine eligibility as in person faculty and instructors;
2. calls upon Statewide UUP to vigorously advocate that the Governor extend the telecommuting agreement through at least the end of summer, so that no member should be required to return to work in person until they have adequate access to vaccinations that the broader scientific community has established to be effective at preventing serious illness from the existing SARS-CoV2 variants;
3. calls upon Stony Brook Administration to delay Phase 5 return to work given that the majority of classes are online and most department and campus activities are conducted online through the end of the Spring 2021 semester.  Phase 5 return should be delayed until after the spring semester ends, when case counts will likely be greatly reduced; 
4. calls upon Stony Brook Administration to allow and encourage professional and academic employees who are able to perform their duties from a remote location to do so without limitation or repercussion, following the telecommuting agreement, so that the density on campus remains reduced during this unprecedented pandemic;
5. calls upon Stony Brook Administration to put forth policies that are clear, easy to follow, and free from conflict with UUP negotiated agreements; and 
6. calls upon Stony Brook Administration to make remote work arrangements equitably available to professional and academic employees, with notification of such policies sent by management to all faculty and staff.

Disclaimer: UUP Member Action Coalition at Stony Brook (MAC) is a caucus within SBU United University Professions (UUP). Communications by MAC do not represent the official policy or position of the Chapter or Statewide UUP

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