Working while sick 🤧🤢? Here are the facts:
Fellow student workers,
This past Monday, the Labor Office sent out a newsletter suggesting that student workers who get sick will be excused from labor. We urge everyone to read the actual policies outlined in the Labor Handbook so as to avoid a situation where anyone, especially first years, fall into situations where they are behind on hours and risk getting kicked out of Berea.
Many of us know a student worker who got sick during the semester, did not have their hours excused, and then had to cram them all in at the end of the semester to avoid labor probation. We also know of students who have continued to work while injured or who were not allowed to change jobs despite serious job-related allergies or disabilities.
Here are the facts about getting hours excused at Berea due to sickness:
- There is no clearly outlined process in writing for getting hours excused.
- The Labor Office decides if you are “sick enough” to be excused.
- In the labor handbook, “a prolonged illness” is the only type of sickness mentioned as valid for an excuse. The term is not defined in the handbook, which means the Labor Office decides individually.
What changes when we win our union?
- We can negotiate a fair sick leave policy based on our lived experiences.
- We can ensure that the process is clear, transparent, and in writing.
- Through this, we can improve the health of our community and prevent the spread of germs and sickness.
Hear from one of our coworkers who struggled to make up hours lost due to sickness:
At one of my past jobs, I had some pretty serious health issues that left me unable to do my job properly to the point where it really didn’t make sense for me to be there at all. I felt really bad and was physically sick at work for weeks. I asked my supervisor if it was possible for me to take some time off, and they would not tell me how to apply for sick leave and encouraged me to keep working. Eventually, it got bad enough that I would just take a day off every week as a rest day. My supervisor never asked me what was wrong, but would continually tell me that I was going to get kicked out of Berea for not working.
Later on in the semester when my health improved, I had to make up every single hour that I had missed. I received no support from my supervisor to schedule this. I had to figure out what I had to do, myself, and ended up working late almost every day to avoid Labor Probation.
We’re unionizing to win a real say in decisions about the labor program that impact our health and well-being. Will you commit to voting yes in our union election by signing the I’m Voting Yes Pledge today and share it with a friend or coworker?
In solidarity,
Maggie Neal, Class of 2025, Peer Health Education Manager, HEART
Julia Neubauer, Class of 2027, Media Support, Campus Life
On behalf of the United Student Workers of Berea-CWA Organizing Committee