UUP members urged to fill out "family leave" survey

To the Editor:

During the next academic year, the State of New York and United University Professions (UUP), the union representing SUNY faculty and professional staff, will sit down and try to come to agreement on a new contract.

Soundings among members have indicated a substantial interest in a more formal procedure to orchestrate "family leaves" for colleagues who need to look after the needs of aging parents, new babies or sick spouses.

Currently, such arrangements are made on an ad hoc and individual basis with accommodating supervisors. This works only when the supervisor is, in fact, accommodating, and it leads to asymmetric treatment across the spectrum.

UUP, so as to be better informed on the intricacies of issues involved and on the experiences of those who were granted such leaves in the past or were rebuffed, has prepared a questionnaire of many pages, with one version for academics and one for professionals.

We urge those who have experiences to relate, or those who anticipate future use of such arrangements, to obtain such a questionnaire and respond to it. It will help our negotiating team to negotiate with more conviction and relevant facts.

The questionnaire can be obtained from Chris Black in 105 Porter, Ellicott Complex, or at 645-2013, or from our Web site at http://wings.buffalo.edu/uup/news.html.

John Boot

UUP Buffalo Center
Chapter President