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URA Grieving Feb. 10 Blizzard Work Day

URA-AFT executive director Bob Cousins has informed the university that the union is grieving the decision to keep New Brunswick Campus offices open during the Feb. 10 blizzard with classes canceled and Newark and Camden Campuses closed. "The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the time in question," said Cousins. "In addition, the state closed all of its offices and people were strongly urged to stay off the roads. There is no doubt that this was a period of hazardous weather conditions and it was recognized that travel posed an imminent danger to life and property."

The union is calling for the following remedies:

  • Non essential URA members who are eligible for overtime pay and reported to work should be granted pay at the essential rate of time plus time-and-a-half;
  • Non essential members who are not eligible for overtime pay (NL) and reported to work should be granted compensation time;
  • Members who are considered essential should be paid out at the essential rate of time plus time-and-a-half; and,
  • Non-essential member who elected not to work on Wednesday should not be charged any personal time for doing so.

    The union's position is that the university did not follow policy 60.3.16 Attendance During Adverse Weather Conditions, according to Cousins. "We
    believe that a weather emergency existed during the time in question and our members should have been afforded the protections and benefits as defined in
    the policy," he said.

    Cousins asked all URA unit members to sign the petition at http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/blizzard. The petition will be presented to Rutgers management as an indicator of how members feel about the decision to keep offices open even with classes cancelled and to support the union's position.

    The following is an excerpt of Rutgers policy Section: 60.3.16. See the full policy at http://policies.rutgers.edu.

    ATTENDANCE DURING ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS

    A. Adverse Weather - University Open.

    (2) "Weather Alert" - University Open. A "Weather Alert" is defined as a specific period of time lasting for a portion of a day or a full day when there is a severe snowstorm, hurricane, flood, tornado, etc. in the area of the University or any of its campuses which makes transportation a problem in the respective University locations.

    B. "Weather Emergency" - Campus (es) Closed.

    A "Weather Emergency" is defined as a period of hazardous weather conditions
    (blizzard, hurricane, tornado, flood, etc.) during which travel is recognized as an imminent danger to life and property in the area of the University or any of its campuses.

    See also:
    N.J. officials urge residents to stay home as snow storm builds
    By The Associated Press
    February 10, 2010, 7:56AM
    The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for all but the northernmost part of New Jersey until midnight.
    See the full story at http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/nj_officials_urge_residents_to.html

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