Safe and Healthy Workplace Campaign [1]

ACTIONS | RESOURCES | CAMPUS COORDINATORS | TIMELINE

#CUNYSafeReturn

FAQs about PSC–CUNY Agreement on Medical and Religious Exemptions to the Vaccine Mandate

The PSC and CUNY are in the process of negotiating the implementation of CUNY’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Despite not having completed the negotiations, we wanted to provide clarification about the part on which we have reached agreement with CUNY: the medical and religious exemption criteria and procedures. The deadline to submit an exemption request is May 18. The Board of Trustees passed a resolution mandating COVID-19 vaccination for PSC-represented employees in January 2022, pursuant to a policy directive from Governor Hochul. CUNY is legally required to negotiate the implementation of the vaccine mandate with the PSC. The PSC supports the scientific consensus that vaccination is a critical, proven component of a layered strategy to mitigate the harm from COVID-19, a global pandemic that has had devastating consequences in New York City and around the world. At the same time, our role as a union is to make sure that our members who do not wish to or cannot be vaccinated are treated fairly and equitably. Moreover, to date CUNY has extended the COVID-19 vaccine mandate only to employees in the Executive Compensation Plan and those represented by the PSC, not to other employees, creating a real inconsistency with consequences for both the public health outcomes of the policy and the negotiations in which we are engaged.

ACTIONS [4] [5]

Let PSC know if you have been denied an accommodation [6]
Join the Health and Safety Watchdogs [7] or attend your union chapter’s next meeting to help keep CUNY safe

RESOURCES

HEALTH AND SAFETY CAMPUS COORDINATOR

Susan Fountain (shfountain@gmail.com)

GC (SLU, SPS, McCauley, School of Journalism)
CUNY Central Office
Hostos
Bronx EOC
BCC
Guttman
Kingsborough
Manhattan EOC

Brian Graf (bgraf@pscmail.org)

Brooklyn EOC
City Tech
HCCS
Medgar Evers
RF
General Assistance

Jean Grassman (jean.grassman@yahoo.com)

GC (GC, SPH, ASRC)
CSI
Hunter
Queens
Baruch
Queensborough
Queens EOC

Carlos Parker (carlosparker@live.com)

BMCC
City College
LaGuardia
Lehman
John Jay
York

Coordinators Emeriti

Jacqueline Elliot

Joan Greenbaum

TIMELINE

5/02/22: FAQs about PSC–CUNY Agreement on Medical and Religious Exemptions to the Vaccine Mandate [11]
3/10/22: Mask Mandate and Vaccine Negotiations [12]
2/09/22: Vaccine Mandate for Faculty and Staff [13]
1/28/22: Rallies to Protect Health, Safety & Jobs At Bronx Community College & Medgar Evers College [14]
1/24/22: Save Jobs, Save Lives, Save CUNY...From Itself! [15]
1/13/22: Path to a Safer Spring Semester [16]
1/05/22: 3,200 Faculty and Staff Sign Petition Calling for a Safe Return [17]
1/02/22: New Vaccination Policy from Governor Hochul [18]
12/29/21: Demand remote work and vaccine mandate from CUNY [19]
12/20/21: PSC notice to Chancellor about the COVID surge [20]
10/04/21: Vaccine Mandates at CUNY [21]
09/03/21: Guidance for Faculty Teaching In-Person Classes [22]
08/31/21: CUNY Faculty, Staff Protest at Medgar Evers College Against the Administration’s Inadequate Reopening Plan [23]
08/26/21: CUNY Faculty and Staff Protest at Hunter College Against the Administration’s Reopening Plan [24]
08/24/21: Day Before CUNY’s Fall Reopening, CUNY Faculty & Staff Union and Elected Officials Raise Safety Concerns [25]
08/19/21: Health and Safety Update -- First week back for some [26]
08/13/21: CUNY Cannot Combat the Pandemic by Patchwork [27]
08/12/21: Updates on health & safety and reopening [28]
08/02/21: Safe reopening update & Fall schedule [29]
07/26/21: Two More Weeks to Ensure a Safe Return [30]
07/12/21: Updates on Safe Reopening and Delayed 2% Raise [31]
06/29/21: Update on Remote Work Agreement [32]
06/22/21: Summer Safe Reopening Campaign Plan [33]
06/07/21: Important Updates on Reopening [34]
06/07/21: Changes to teaching modality [35]
06/03/21: Remote Work Agreement issues [36]
05/13/21: Resolution on CUNY Libraries Reopening of Physical Space [9]
03/20 - 04/21: Save Lives, Save Jobs, Save CUNY 2020 [37]