Faculty Rights Tip: Health and Safety

Article 37 of our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covers workplace health and safety for all Unit 3 faculty members—instructional faculty, counselors, librarians, and coaches.

It is the administration’s responsibility to ensure that faculty members are not required to work in unsafe conditions or perform tasks that endanger health or safety. In this time of multiple public health crises, the effects of climate change, and extreme weather events impacting our campuses, CFA continues to relentlessly advocate for safe working conditions for all Unit 3 faculty members in the CSU.

When faculty members believe that they are being required to work under unhealthy or unsafe conditions, they should notify “appropriate administrators,” i.e., college deans and campus provosts.

The university must then investigate complained-of conditions as soon as possible and immediately communicate the results of their investigations. If necessary, the university also must explain the steps that will be taken to correct the conditions.

Faculty members also may request temporary reassignments when they believe in good faith that their present assignment presents a clear danger to their health and safety. The administration must respond to such requests and may not unreasonably deny them during the preliminary aspect of any investigation.

Please check out Article 37 for other important health and safety provisions.

During past negotiations, CFA’s bargaining team proposed improvements to Article 37, including, “expanding Article 37 to strengthen the ways the CSU addresses the impact of racism on our campuses by designating alternatives to campus police and appointing faculty to serve in ombudsperson roles for employee conflicts” and updating “the CBA to provide for emergency response programs at all campuses considering frequent emergencies and campus closures due to natural disasters. With climate change, natural disasters are likely to increase, and the CBA should reflect the world we live in.”

We will continue to advocate for the expansion of Article 37 in our upcoming bargaining re-opener to meet the challenges of our times. In the meantime, we carefully work to enforce the existing article.

If you are concerned about your health and safety on campus or in relation to your working conditions, contact your faculty rights representative here. 

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