We want to thank managers and supervisors for the patience and determination you showed today as we managed the labor demonstration.
As we approach tomorrow and the uncertainty it brings in being able to access our campus, we want to share again the following guidance to help you and your employees:
- Accessibility - Employees are expected to work their normal schedules on May 8, 9, and 10th. Please instruct your employees to check campus accessibility before they come to work. Employees who can safely come to campus should do so in accordance with information disseminated from the campus’ website. Information will be posted on a special web site: ucsc.edu/advisory/, recorded on the campus communication hotline (459-INFO), provided to KZSC Radio (88.1 FM) for broadcast, and shared via the campus Twitter account (twitter.com/ucsc). If access to the campus is not possible, further instructions to employees will be posted via these channels.
- Work Flexibility - In order to minimize the number of people attempting to access the campus, employee requests to work from home or for an alternate work site may be considered and approved based on operational needs. We encourage you to be as flexible as possible when considering these requests from your employees.
- Request for Vacation or Compensatory Time Off (CTO) - Managers and supervisors may approve advance requests to schedule vacation or CTO (overtime leave) in accordance with policy and labor agreements and as it is customarily administered within your unit/division. Employees requesting vacation or CTO due to concerns about their safety should be granted the time off.
- Request for Sick Leave - You may require that employees provide reasonable documentation to support their request for sick leave if the requested day off is concurrent with the strike day. Managers and supervisors should notify employees within a reasonable period of time before the strike that medical documentation will be required.
- Request for Union Business Leave - Please forward the employee's request to the Employee & Labor Relations' Administrative Specialist, Jennifer May, at 459-1873 or jemay@ucsc.edu.
- Absence without Approval - If the campus is accessible and an employee is absent without advance approval to use vacation or compensatory time off and has not called in sick, then the day should be recorded as an unapproved absence and the employee's pay will be adjusted in accordance with policy and labor agreements.
- Recording Attendance - Employee attendance will be reported as normal through Cruz Pay and other time reporting practices. In order to assess the impact of the strike, we may ask supervisors or units to provide additional information on absences for a report to the Office of the President.
- Absence due to Inaccessibility - If the campus is officially determined to be inaccessible, the Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor may approve administrative leave with pay for those employees who are expected to work but are unable to access the workplace. Employees should not be encouraged to enter the campus to work nor should they be transported onto campus if it is deemed inaccessible by the Police Chief.
- Health and Safety - It is important to ensure that your employees are advised that their safety is always the first priority. Employees should not be expected to jeopardize their safety in attempting to get to work if access to the campus is blocked. Please emphasize to your employees that they should follow the directions regarding campus access that will be communicated through the channels noted above. If your employees needs further assistance, you may direct them to contact the Employee Assistance Program or their Employee & Labor Relations Analyst to discuss questions or concerns.
- Class Scheduling - Academic employees are expected to perform research and instructional duties as normal. Department chairs have the delegated authority to reschedule or relocate a class in order to ensure effective delivery of the academic program. Rescheduling or relocation must follow established departmental practice and accommodate the needs of the instructor and all students in the class, keeping in mind that students may experience difficulty finding transportation onto or off campus. Instructors who cancel classes not in accordance with departmental practice may be subject to discipline, consistent with applicable rules and policy. If the campus is officially determined to be inaccessible, the Chancellor may cancel classes, and this will be communicated through the channels noted above.
For an overview of the campus strike plan, please visit the UCSC Labor Strike Plan at shr.ucsc.edu/elr/UCSC-Labor-Strike-Plan.pdf.
Information about business continuity planning is available on the Office of Emergency Operations website.
If the campus is open and accessible, we encourage you to do your best to balance our need to provide on-site services with your team’s comfort with passing through the demonstrations. Some employees have felt anxiety and we want to take their comfort into consideration.
Strike related questions should be forwarded to your Employee & Labor Relations Analyst at shr.ucsc.edu/elr/ or email: elrinfo@ucsc.edu.
Please be assured that the campus continues to plan and prepare for labor activity on May 8, 9, and 10. We will provide communication updates as additional information becomes known.
Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation.We appreciate your efforts during this time, and we remain hopeful that the UC system and the labor union will soon come to a mutually agreeable resolution.
