Dear UCU Members,
Thank you to everyone who could join us on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 for our General Membership Meeting. It was wonderful to see so many of you, and we hope you found the meeting informative. For those of you who could not attend, the slides are available on the website.
There were many great questions during the meeting, and we’ve summarized those and our answers below. We encourage you to let us know any other questions or concerns about the Fall using this form, as well as your availability for the benefits info sessions. We are meeting with the administration to discuss Fall planning next week.
The Cooper Union is planning for in-person instruction for the Fall. What does that mean for my work situation?
While the administration is planning for a return to in-person learning for all students this Fall, they are still working out details for how this will affect our members. Summer scheduling has not been discussed, and we don’t anticipate any answers until May. The administration has expressed that equity is important in determining who will be allowed to work from home and who will be allowed or required to come to campus, and they will be working with managers to determine what is appropriate for each individual employee, but also fair across departments.
We will continue to advocate on behalf of members with safety concerns, as well as request that continued work from home be encouraged wherever practical and appropriate. As always, if you have concerns about your individual working situation or any requested change to your working conditions, please reach out to UCU. We will continue advocating for members’ interests and concerns as planning continues.
What will being on campus look like now that vaccines are available? Do we have to stay masked? Will vaccines be required?
We believe masks will still be required on campus in the Fall, but we have received no confirmation from the administration. The Cooper Union has not indicated that vaccines will be required, and New York State guidelines do not currently require vaccinations. If that changes, we will let you know, but we encourage all members who choose to do so to receive the vaccination as soon as possible.
Will we have Fridays off this summer?
We do not anticipate any changes to Summer Fridays, though no announcement about the summer schedule has yet been made.
What is the status of contract negotiations and raises this year? What is our negotiation platform based on?
UCU’s goal is to start negotiations this May. Based on prior years, these negotiations will probably continue through the summer, and potentially past September 2021. The two faculty unions have both recently entered negotiations as well. In January 2020, we sent a survey to the membership requesting information on your priorities for negotiations. If you did not get the chance to fill that form out, you may do so here.
Our overall plan is to overhaul the contract, removing outdated sections and adding new ones like Health & Safety guarantees. We also plan to request a longer five year contract, instead of the usual three, so that the negotiated terms will remain in effect for longer without need for renegotiation.
Raises are a major component of our negotiations platform, and our proposals take into account data from peer institutions, cost-of-living in major cities like NYC, and other factors including member feedback. Other factors, such as the increased minimum wage in New York State, are being accounted for as well.
Cooper has been sharing communications about how well they are doing financially despite the pandemic, so if they attempt to deny pay increases based on finances, we will ask for more in-depth data on this contradiction in Cooper’s financial situation. We will also be asking for retro pay for 2020 for any negotiated pay increases, as well as increases in professional development and education benefits for Cooper employees and their families.
Here is a general outline of what we are currently working on to propose to the administration. As mentioned above, if you have additional items that aren’t currently listed, please complete the Google form no later than Friday, April 30th. Please also note that this contract negotiation will not include anything related to medical benefits. Health benefits need to be negotiated among all three unions and the administration.
Will there be any changes to our benefits?
In prior negotiations, the administration and the three unions agreed to form a Health Benefits Committee to review the current Cooper Union Medical Plans and negotiate in good-faith over modifications to the terms of these plans. While the administration has referenced it in the past, the committee has still not been formed. If and when it meets, the three unions will negotiate with the administration over any changes. We would refuse to negotiate any cuts to benefits without the administration showing how much the college is paying for our current healthcare coverage, and we would fight against any increase in cost that does not coincide with better coverage to compensate. This committee has not been brought up recently, but we will update the membership if we do hear something.
In solidarity,
UCU Executive Committee