CSEA Employee Safety updates

Your E-board has persistently been advocating for your rights to safe working conditions. The Monterey Herald has published an article titled, “Hartnell College returns for spring, unions uncertain over COVID-19 protocols”, which we encourage each of you to read.

As CSEA 470 prepares to negotiate Employee Safety, please review your current work area and working conditions. Please share any employee safety issues and/or recommendations for the negotiation team to bargain with the District.

An informed union membership results in an effective union.    

In addition, CSEA-470’s EERC team met with the District on January 20th, and have the following Employee Safety updates for the membership:

1.      President Crow has authorized all supervisors to allow for remote work during COVID isolation.

a.      If you would like to work from home during your COVID-related isolation, please ask your supervisor.

b.    The District is following CDPH and OSHA guidelines. Refer to the Tables in the CDPH document for additional information.

c.      If you are denied work from home, please take SICK leave, and PLEASE DO NOT WORK (including checking email or texts) during your sick leave.

d. If you receive an email or text from your supervisor during leave, you do not have to respond. If you choose to respond, be sure you ask and confirm from your supervisor that you will receive Call Back time for work performed during leave before performing it.

2.      Vice President Romero Jalomo shared that Virus Geeks has a separate area for Hartnell Employees at Virus Geeks

a.      President Pullum and I confirmed at Virus Geeks that the Hartnell employee line is on the side of the tent.  Make sure you are pre-registered with Virus Geeks. You can sign up on their website ahead of time and we recommend you do so.

b. When you go to Virus Geeks, please identify yourself as a Hartnell Employee and they will assist you without needing an appointment.

c. We will be asking the District to establish more Virus Geeks sites, hopefully at all campuses.

3.      Vice President Beam shared that the District is not following the Vaccination MOU signed between CSEA and the District in regards to testing non-vaccinated employees with authorized exemptions. The District has not created a tracking process or procedures for the CSEA employees to test twice weekly. We will ask the District to give us a date for when this process will be completed and take additional action if they fail to act.