Are you a caregiver? Did you know you’re entitled to immediate paid leave? GTAs who are caregivers are eligible for paid leave under the recent Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Continue reading for details.
RSVP for the GTAC Paid Leave Q&A Zoom
RSVP for our info session with Q&A on Thursday at 2pm or Friday at 6pm. No registration or Zoom download is required, although please help us plan by RSVPing on Facebook. These info sessions are open to the public. Q&A and other settings will be open and transparent. Questions can be submitted either before or during the Q&A. Please message us at gtacunion@gmail.com or PM us on our Facebook Page at fb.com/GTACku for pre-submitted questions.
If you are taking care of immediate family members or roommates with COVID-19 symptoms or diagnosis and this interferes with your work, you eligible for 2 weeks of paid sick leave. You cannot be denied this leave. To utilize this leave:
- Email your department chair to report that your immediate family member or roommate is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms which require care. This email must contain:
- Your name
- The dates of your anticipated leave
- A statement that you are caring for an immediate family member or roommate who is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19
- The name of the health care provider for that person
- Because it is important to inform your department chair as soon as possible, if you are not certain which provider will be available for their visit, it is permissible to inform your department chair of your dates of leave and then follow-up with the name of the health care provider after their visit
If you are taking care of children whose schools or daycares have closed because of COVID-19, you are eligible for 10 weeks leave at 2/3 your normal rate of pay. If both parents are at home with the children, only one parent can claim caregiver leave under FFCRA. You cannot be denied this leave. To utilize this leave:
- Email your department chair with:
- The name of the child being cared for
- The name of their school, place of care, or child care provider that closed or became unavailable due to coronavirus reasons
- A statement representing that no other suitable person is available to care for the child during your leave.
- Your anticipated dates of leave
Note: The FFCRA also has other conditions for leave, but GTAs are generally ineligible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will happen to my students?
This is up to your department chair, but these are the most likely scenarios:
- Your chair can end the course
- Your chair can find another GTA to complete the course IF they also increase that GTA’s FTE and pay to match the additional hours over their normal FTE
- Your chair can complete the course or find another faculty worker to complete the course
Will I still get paid?
Yes. Both your negotiated leave and FFRCA leave are guaranteed. You will not experience any interruption to pay. If you have reported experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 which interfere with your work or are caring for someone who does, you will receive 100% of your normal pay. If you are caring for a child whose normal care was interrupted because of coronavirus reasons, you will only receive 2/3 of your normal pay.
What if KU denies my leave?
KU cannot “deny” your leave because you are not “requesting” leave, as you might for a wedding or a funeral. You are informing KU that you are utilizing your right to paid leave. However, you must notify your department chair as described above to utilize this leave. If you experience any issues, please contact us immediately. GTAC will provide representation by certified union stewards.
Will this affect next year’s appointment?
KU is prohibited by state law from harassing, disciplining, firing, retaliating or otherwise discriminating against unionized workers for use of your rights or benefits. KU is prohibited by federal law from harassing, disciplining, firing, retaliating or otherwise discriminating against any worker for use of FFCRA benefits. If you experience any issues, please contact us immediately. GTAC will provide representation by certified union stewards.
Will this affect my evaluation?
No, KU cannot consider your use of benefits as a factor in your evaluation as a GTA. If student evaluations reflect negative reviews because of your leave, KU cannot consider them. If you experience any issues, please contact us immediately. GTAC will provide representation by certified union stewards.
Will my department chair be upset with me?
Most department chairs are sympathetic to use of of our negotiated benefits and your department chair and faculty workers are entitled to paid leave under FFCRA. If your chair becomes upset, makes negative comments towards or about you regarding use of your leave, considers use of your right to leave in your evaluation or future appointments, or even complains about your use of leave to other faculty workers, they would be in violation of state and/or federal laws prohibiting employers from harassing, disciplining, firing, retaliating or otherwise discriminating against workers for use of their sick leave. Remember that you are legally entitled to any and all of these types of leave.
This seems unfair to my department chair and other faculty workers.
This situation is unfair for your department chair and faculty workers, along with your adjuncts and all GTAs. We sympathize with any and all workers who are being treated unfairly with respect to the workload and complications created by KU administration’s emergency response plan. We would recommend that faculty workers utilize any leave they may have and/or any FFCRA leave to which they might be entitled and leave the administrative cleanup to the administrators. We would stand by any faculty worker who chose to do so, just as we stood for University-wide raises in 2019.
Note: The FFCRA includes other types and conditions for leave, but because KU has made telework an option, we are ineligible for them.)
RSVP for the GTAC Paid Leave Q&A Zoom
RSVP for our info session with Q&A on Thursday at 2pm or Friday at 6pm. No registration or Zoom download is required, although please help us plan by RSVPing on Facebook. These info sessions are open to the public. Q&A and other settings will be open and transparent. Questions can be submitted either before or during the Q&A. Please message us at gtacunion@gmail.com or PM us on our Facebook Page at fb.com/GTACku for pre-submitted questions.