URGENT: PCCFA Special Announcement for January 28, 2022
Dear Faculty,
During the FA Board’s all-day negotiations with the District today, the FA presented a reasonable proposal for a safe return to campus. It was our genuine desire to reach an agreement with the District that is data-driven and focused on safety.
Our proposal included:
- Triggers for a return to “remote” teaching based on specific numbers and percentages for safety
- Policies for masking that include requirements for KN95 and N95 masks and required fittings for N95 masks
- Specific guidelines for testing procedures and recommendations to address the fiasco on campus with testing and verification procedures over the past week
- Required boosters for all eligible faculty
- Consistently-reported COVID-19 data
The District came back with a regressive gutting of our proposal that further displayed their callous disregard for the safety of all faculty at PCC. It was clear that they were not willing to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement and their tactics were an obvious attempt to weaken our solidarity.
The District’s counter-proposal would eviscerate critical safety measures on campus:
- Eliminating required testing for all faculty (except vaccination-exempt faculty who would need to test every 4 days) contradicting current COVID-19 information on PCC’s website
- Failing to provide necessary fit-testing for N95 masks
- Detailing no plan for verification procedures
- Removing required notification of positive student COVID-19 tests
- Refusing any campus-specific triggers for remote instruction to prepare for any future surge in positive COVID-19 cases
Finally, the District threatened faculty with a 15-day suspension without pay if they worked remotely this past week. After consulting with our attorneys, the FA has been advised such action would be illegal. It is also a contradiction of the District’s previous agreement to keep all faculty safe.
This process would require multiple steps, such as:
- issuing a formal notice to faculty
- giving reasons for the notice
- submitting to an impartial arbitrator
This is clearly an intimidation attempt and the FA would defend each and every faculty member if the District pursued this course of action.
We refuse to compromise the health and safety of all our faculty.
Please attend an emergency meeting on Sunday, January 30th, 2022 at 5pm PST.