Covid Vaccines for all Faculty and Staff with paid leave!!

Statement by United University Professions President Frederick E. Kowal on priority COVID-19 vaccinations for all SUNY on-campus employees

"There is nothing more important than the safety of our members on the job, which is why UUP fought so diligently to ensure that all employees working in-person on campus be eligible for priority COVID-19 vaccinations. With the governor’s March 9 announcement, that is now the case.

For months, UUP worked closely with SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras, state legislators and our union colleagues to extend priority vaccinations to include not only in-class faculty and instructors, but all on-campus employees who work with students and the public. Those essential employees include residential life directors, counselors, instructional support staff, librarians, financial aid staff, researchers and other similar positions.

Last week, I sent a letter to the governor demanding that he grant vaccine eligibility to all on-campus employees. And nearly 4,000 people, most of them UUP members, signed a UUP petition calling on the governor to clear all SUNY employees working on campus for priority vaccinations.

While we believe this situation should have been resolved months ago, we are grateful that all on-campus workers can be vaccinated effective immediately. Without UUP’s intervention, I am firmly convinced that these dedicated workers would still be ineligible for vaccinations to protect them from COVID-19.

UUP will always do all it can to protect our members and ensure their safety on the job."

Paid Leave per injection  

As of last Friday, March 12, all New York employees are entitled to up to four hours of paid leave per injection (2 for Pfizer and Moderna and one for J and J vaccines).

The State of New York has enacted Senate Bill 2588-A, which grants employees paid time off to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Senate Bill 2588-A is effective immediately and set to expire on December 31, 2022.

SENATE BILL 2588-A:

Under Senate Bill 2588-A, all New York employees are entitled to up to four hours of paid leave per injection. Employers must provide the leave at the employee's regular rate of pay, and employers are prohibited from deducting this leave from any other earned or accrued time.

COMPLIANCE RECOMMENDATIONS:

New York employers should review their policies, forms, practices, and supervisor training to ensure compliance with the law.