Dear SDCCD Colleagues,
I wanted to take this opportunity to address the concerns that have been brought to my attention regarding the steps management has set in motion in response to the coronavirus threat.
Faculty with Classroom Assignments
Article 7.14.3 of our contract is extremely clear regarding forcing faculty to teach in a distance education format: “The decision regarding whether or not to accept a distance education assignment shall be at the sole discretion of the faculty member. Faculty will not be sanctioned or adversely evaluated in any way for refusing a distance education assignment.”
If you are willing to convert your class to an online format, be sure your Dean has approved this before you make the conversion. If you are unwilling to convert your class to an online format for any reason, just inform your Dean and Chair that you will be remaining with your traditional format until you are told the campus will be completely closed (more on that in a minute).
Classified Professionals and Faculty with Non-Classroom Assignments
There may be cases where you can work out an arrangement with your dean/supervisor to work from home. Provided there is mutual agreement to do so, this is allowed. However, you cannot be forced to work from home.
SDCCD Campus/Site Closure
If SDCCD management decides to close down your work location, your will still be paid based on your regular assignment/workshift, just like what happened when we had the fires.
Remote Location Closure
If you work at a site that is not controlled by the SDCCD (like a nursing home or hospital) and it is closed down, you should contact your dean/supervisor to determine an alternative work assignment. You should still submit your time as you would for your regular work schedule, even if your dean/supervisor cannot come up with an alternative assignment for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to use any of my accrued leaves if my site is closed? A: No, you do not need to utilize any of your accrued leaves if your site is closed.
Q: Can my supervisor force me to take comp. time or use excess vacation accrual if my site is closed? A: No, you do not need to utilize any of your comp. time or use excess vacation accrual if your site is closed.
Q: If my site is closed, what will happen with my students and their grades/credits for my class? A: It is too early to tell exactly what would happen in this situation as the answer if dependent on the length of time of the closure. If the closure is relatively short, you may have to just adjust your syllabus to accommodate, as we did during the fires. If the closure is more lengthy, you may need to determine your students’ grades based on the work they have submitted to date. We don’t yet have enough information available to answer this question completely.
- What if my manager does not agree with one of the positions AFT has listed above? A: In that case, please contact your AFT representative right away and we will rely upon the dispute resolution process in our contract which the District is legally obligated to follow.
Above all, we are still working closely with the District to find reasonable solutions until this threat has passed, so we advise everyone to remain calm and work collaboratively with your appropriate manager to determine the best working arrangements for you as this situation continues to evolve.
Also, please keep in mind that over the past nine weeks there have been 18,000 cases and 80 deaths from the traditional seasonal flu in SD County, and only one presumptive case of the coronavirus identified in the County. This is not the time to panic.
I hope you find this information useful. Please don not hesitate to contact me if you have other questions that have not been addressed above.
Stay well and wash your hands!
In Unity,
Jim
Jim Mahler, President
AFT Guild, Local 1931
