USAS Demands UMD Bargain with AFSCME 1072 now!
Darryll J. Pines, University of Maryland President
The university is putting both workers and students at risk by refusing to meet with the union to bargain over basic health and safety precautions. There have been numerous outbreaks on campus and while the university has instituted new regulations such as a sequester-in-place for the week of February 21-27, there were no new actions taken to further protect workers who are on the front lines of this pandemic!
Right now, because there is nothing in the union contract covering pandemic working conditions, it is NOT REQUIRED for UMD to provide masks to campus workers. As a result, there are huge discrepancies in the experiences of workers doing the same jobs under different supervisors. We have heard from bus drivers that the only masks they received from the University were two (2) cloth masks back in August! If workers want more protection, they are responsible for finding and purchasing it on their own. We also have heard stories from housekeepers about not being notified when students test positive on the floor they are responsible for cleaning.
While there is UMD policy in place around health and safety, it is not legally binding. Workers need a fair UNION CONTRACT, which UMD can actually be held accountable to. Other public universities in Maryland like University of MD Eastern Shore (UMES), Bowie State University (BSU), University of MD Baltimore County (UMBC), and Frostburg State University (FSU) have already done the right thing by bargaining with the AFSCME Locals on their campuses and agreeing upon a contract to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. What’s holding President Pines back? How many students and workers need to get COVID before UMD will finally agree to keep our community safe and put people over profit?
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To:
Darryll J. Pines, University of Maryland President
From:
[Your Name]
Dear President Pines,
As students and workers across the country, we stand in solidarity with AFSCME Local 1072 in demanding that the University of Maryland negotiate with campus workers over health and safety protocols. As we are in the middle of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus, it couldn't be more obvious who is keeping our campus running, whose bodies are on the line, and the absolute need for all campus workers to have their health and safety needs met. We know that worker safety is student safety, and vice versa. UMD workers are the backbone of our institution and deserve health and safety now more than ever in the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak!
Workers want input on testing, contract tracing, PPE, teleworkers returning to campus, and the threshold for closing campus back up again. We the students support the union’s demands. If the University wants to prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of the campus community, it can begin by negotiating with AFSCME 1072 to ensure the health and safety of all community members. We urge you, President Pines, to promptly act on AFSCME’s demands and come to the bargaining table now.
President Pines, we need a commitment from you that the UMD administration will negotiate a contract with AFSCME 1072 on COVID-19 health and safety issues immediately.
Sincerely,
United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS)