Requiring Vaccinations for Faculty

5/10/2021

Dear Members,

The FSU Executive Committee sent the below email request to the UMB Administration today on behalf of the FSU.  If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the FSU (fsu@umb.edu). 

Dear Chancellor Suárez-Orozco and Provost Berger,

The FSU supports requiring faculty to be vaccinated in order to return to campus in the Fall.   We write to request to impact bargain the details of such a policy as soon as possible.  

In a recent poll, over 90% of (over 400) UMB faculty/librarian respondents stated that they support requiring vaccinations for faculty who are on campus (and this was prior to the announcement that students would be required to be vaccinated).   Raising the percentage of people who are vaccinated on our campus is important for the health of everyone, for our ability to return to campus life in the Fall, to stand in solidarity with our students, and to send a broader message about the importance of the vaccine for fighting the pandemic.

Sincerely,

FSU Executive Committee

Steve Striffler

Director, Labor Resource Center

Professor, Anthropology

UMass Boston

FSU President

For information on the FSU, links to our contract and bargaining updates, and a calendar of events, see the FSU webpage