Did you know you’re entitled to immediate paid leave? Almost every GTA is eligible for paid leave through our negotiated employment contract and/or under the recent Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Continue reading for more details. Please note that if you intend to take both your negotiated benefit sick leave and the FFCRA leave, you must use your FFCRA leave first and your negotiated benefit sick leave second.
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.
Work Adjustments
All GTAs are entitled to a “work adjustment” (which functions as paid leave) of two weeks through our negotiated employment contract re Article 9, Section 3a which states:
“GTAs may experience personal or familial obligations and may request work assignment adjustments from the department chairperson or unit director, as described in the offer letter, to address those issues. The GTA should make such requests to the department chairperson or unit director with as much advance notice as possible, except in emergency situations. The department chairperson or unit director shall not arbitrarily deny making such work assignment adjustments.”
This is related to the negotiated wording in your individual offer letters, which state:
“GTAs are eligible for work assignment adjustments for 2 weeks per semester for personal or family circumstances.”
Personal and family circumstances absolutely include illness and are in fact primarily used for the illness of a GTA or an immediate family member. Please contact us if you would like assistance in utilizing your right to this negotiated leave benefit. To utilize this leave:
- Email your department chair to request this work adjustments. You do not have to detail the circumstances of your family or personal life. This email must contain:
- Your name
- The dates of your anticipated leave
- A statement that you would like a work adjustment due to personal or family circumstances
- Attempt to find class coverage through whatever means are provided
- If your department has a written policy for accessing class coverage, please follow that policy.
- If no class coverage is found, email your department chair, who will find coverage or otherwise make a determination regarding the course
- If your department does not offer guidance for class coverage, email your department chair, who will find coverage or otherwise make a determination regarding the course
- If your department chair denies your request for a work adjustment, contact GTAC immediately.
- Your request for a work adjustment cannot arbitrarily be denied, and a reason must be given.
- A denial is not a final decision. Please contact GTAC immediately so we can help you evaluate your situation.
FFCRA Paid Sick Leave
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) entitles every GTA to two weeks of paid sick leave for all workers who report experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. You cannot be denied this leave. To utilize this leave:
- Email your department chair to report experiencing COVID-19 symptoms which interfere with your work, such as a high fever or severe cough. This email must contain:
- Your name
- The dates of your anticipated leave
- A statement that you are unable to work because of the severity of your symptoms, and that you are seeking a diagnosis
- The name of your health care provider
- Because it is important to inform your department chair as soon as possible, if you are not certain which provider will be available for your visit, it is permissible to inform your department chair of your dates of leave and then follow-up with the name of your provider after your visit.
- Reach out to a medical professional for a diagnosis.
- If you have medical coverage from United Health Care through the Board of Regents sponsored Student Health Insurance Plan, you can set up a telemed appointment with any in-network doctor at myaccount.uhcsr.com.
- Both voice and video visits are available. You will need a phone or computer capable of making calls or video chatting.
- There are no co-pays for this service until 6/18/2020.
- If the medical professional tells you to self-quarantine or gives you instructions to get tested, then you become eligible for FFCRA leave. Remember, you are only eligible for this kind of FFCRA leave if you are too sick to telework. Be sure to email your department chair with the name of your provider after your visit.
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 using caregiver leave, 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 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 chair is also entitled to paid leave under FFCRA. If your chair becomes upset, makes negative comments towards or about you for use of your leave, considers use of your right to leave in your evaluation or future appointments, or even complains about you 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.