Workshop: Bargaining a Safe and Healthy Return to Office

This workshop was held on Monday, August 16 as part of a larger conversation across the local about how we as a union can protect one another as the pandemic rages on. 

COVID-19 is a deadly occupational disease that threatens the lives and health of media workers and their households. The workplace can be a major source of spread and infection, as it is a location where individuals spend many hours in an enclosed space breathing the same air. The threat posed by the pandemic has now been compounded by the Delta variant, which is more than twice as contagious as the original virus.

Our union’s position on any return to office plan is unequivocal: Returning to the office is a mandatory subject of bargaining and a status quo issue. That means management cannot force us back to work without first negotiating with us. 

And our bargaining approach is grounded in the principle that it is our role as the union to hold management accountable to their obligation to protect us, our families, and the communities we live in, to the greatest degree possible

In this workshop, we discuss the new delta variant, the different vaccines available, the importance of ventilation and filtration, and how to effectively organize to keep one another safe.

Marina Jabsky is the Industrial Hygienist at the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. She has a Masters of Public Health in Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety from the CUNY School of Public Health and Health Policy. Her role at NYCOSH includes providing technical assistance, support, training, and conducting investigations and risk assessments related to concerns about exposures to workplace hazards.

View the presentations here:

Powerpoint: Bargaining a Safe and Healthy Return to Office

Powerpoint Safely Returning to the Office During COVID-19 (NYCOSH)

Video: Watch the full presentation.