TAKE ACTION FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY ON THURSDAY then IMPACT BARGAINING ON FRIDAY
Are you furious at FSU’s lack of care for the health and safety of you, your students, your loved ones, and the greater FSU community? Have you seen too many undergraduates violating all common sense safety procedures this week? Are FSU’s “expectations” for masking not enough?
Then let’s DO SOMETHING about it. TOGETHER.
This Thursday, at 3:30PM, we will meet at the Fountain in Landis Green. At 3:45 we will march over to the Westcott Building where we will hand a list of health and safety protocol demands to President McCullough. We will dissipate by 5PM.
As you are aware, the University has not taken appropriate precautions to protect GAs, students, staff, and faculty during the most recent COVID-19 spike. GAU is committed to ensuring the health and safety of everyone at Florida State University. In an effort to strengthen health and safety protocols, GAU will host an action event on Thursday with Graduate Assistants and allies on campus.
What to Expect
The union will have signs that say “What if I have Covid?”. You are also welcome to bring your own handmade sign. We will be practicing social distancing, and masks are required at this action event. Please wear your GAU shirt and mask if you have one! If you do not, shirts and masks will be provided at the rally (and if you’re a member, you get to keep them!). Depending on turnout, some people may be inside the building while others may be outside.
Our Focus
We are focusing on the health and safety of our ourselves and our students, rather than targeting any specific administrator. We want to ensure that the university administration is aware of our concerns and acts immediately to address them.
Code of Conduct
All in attendance are expected to adhere to these rules: No property damage. Do not curse at or harass staff. Staff are indeed allies in this fight as they are represented by AFSCME, a union representing public sector workers. Masks, face shields, or other protective measures should be taken at all times.
Most importantly, please show up and bring your coworkers, students, family, and ANYONE who is concerned about the health and safety protocols surrounding COVID-19 on campus! RSVP to our Union email address to ensure your spot at this action event!
All of this is to put us in a better position for…
IMPACT BARGAINING FRIDAY
Finally, we have impact bargaining on Friday morning, 8/27, 8:30AM-12:30PM. Last Thursday, your Union proposed a simple solution to the political and financial pressures the University faces: Rather than mandate masks, or mandate vaccines, FSU could require a domain of options for students to choose from. This could include masking and vaccines, or it could include face shields, social distancing, flex/hybrid learning options (such as students Zoom-ing in to lectures), alternative teaching locations (such as outside), regular negative COVID-19 tests, &c. The FSU administration rejected this out of hand, and instead responded with the proposal that we tell students we “expect” masking, vaccination, &c. They said this “rhetoric” is all FSU can do.
But “rhetoric” is not a safety procedure.
This Friday, we will COUNTER the University’s weak, status-quo proposal by continuing to DEMAND real safety procedures, NOT empty words. But we need your help.
Impact Statements
If have a concern about campus reopening or a story to share, please email us at bargaining@fsugau.org. We want to make YOUR voices heard by the administration, so they can understand exactly how serious this situation is and why the current health and safety measures just aren’t enough. Even If you don’t have any particular story but are just concerned, SHOW UP to bargaining this Friday and remind the administration that all eyes are on THEM. They have the chance to do the right thing and save lives. Let’s not let them forget it.
We’ll be available in our “caucus room” for 30 minutes before Impact Bargaining this Friday. There, we will go over exactly what we’re presenting in more detail with you, so we can receive feedback from YOU, the members. We want to make sure we are representing YOUR concerns, priorities, and demands. So come to caucus at 8:30AM to make your voice heard, and then we will head over to the “main” bargaining room at 9:00AM to present those demands to the FSU administration! Looking forward to seeing you all at bargaining this Friday. Remember: united we bargain, divided we beg! In Solidarity, Vincenza Antonetta Berardo Chief Negotiator & Bargaining Chair