"National Strike Day" and other potential events
Dear HR Liaisons,
I am writing to make you aware that we have observed discussions on social media and fielded a couple of questions related to a “National Strike Day” planned for March 14. There is also a “Standup for Science Walkout” planned for noon on Friday, March 7 at the Dalton Trumbo Fountain Court and a noon March 19 event planned for the fountain court by UCW Colorado and its affiliates on other campuses. While the volume of discussions has been low on our campus, questions have arisen to at least one unit about faculty/staff participation. We also recognize that there could be other similar events planned in the coming weeks and months.
The guidance below is similar to guidance we’ve issued in the past related to other events.
Guidance for you
- While instructors’ responsibilities to teaching and learning are paramount, in general, faculty and staff have the right under employee protection laws to attend events like this in their free time, such as the lunch hour.
- We support our employees’ rights to be civically active in their free time so long as they are not using university resources to do so or speaking on behalf of the university.
- If asked, you and your leaders should not tell faculty or staff that they cannot attend such events, nor discipline employees who do.
- It is acceptable to clarify that conflicting work responsibilities take precedence and that classes should not be canceled or otherwise compromised to enable attendance at such an event.
- Those who elect to participate do need to request time off work from their supervisor to attend such events and record vacation leave. Supervisors seeking further guidance may contact Employee Relations.
Additional resources
I am also providing some additional information and resources in case you get questions about employee engagement or compensation on campus with events like the one planned on March 19.
- Multiple elected shared governance groups represent faculty and staff on campus, including Boulder Faculty Assembly (BFA), Staff Council, the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG), and the CU Student Government (CUSG).
- These groups advocate on behalf of their stakeholders and meet regularly with campus leadership to address a variety of issues and initiatives.
- CU Boulder continues to take meaningful action to recruit and retain quality faculty and staff through a number of salary and wage increases and benefit enhancements undertaken in recent years.
- The employee organization recognized by the University of Colorado is Colorado WINS (COWINS). UCW is not a bargaining unit recognized by the university.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Robyn Fergus
Vice Chancellor for Human Resources