NEIU A&P Council
20150114 Minutes
Present:
Absent:
J Alexander, M Genao-Homs, K Gleiss, MR Lamadrid-Quevedo, L Moreno, T Tobin
D Lawson
A&P Employee Sick Bank
K Gleiss:
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M Maso in Human Resources said that they had already okayed the sick-bank proposal.
Next steps: I will follow up with Barb Sherry and find the text of the proposal.
Next steps: The A&P Council should review the content and then present it to F Ross to be put
forward for HR to adopt as a formal process.
Respectful Workplace Policy
T Tobin:
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As written, the draft policy appears not to be a policy, but a set of guidelines, and it also seems to
mingle elements of a respectful-workplace guide with student anti-bullying policy.
I propose revising the existing document to include who is responsible, definitions of model and
infringing behavior, and a form and process for reporting and high-level advocacy.
J Alexander:
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How would the proposed policy or guidelines benefit A&P members? There is no formal recourse.
The policy wouldn’t have any “teeth,” and would apply only to disrespctful conduct between A&P
members, since UPI and AFSCME members are already protected by their contracts.
K Gleiss:
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A&P members are at-will employees, so how could this policy offer them any real protections?
T Tobin:
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The protection question is a good one to ask. What brought the effort to make a respectfulworkplace policy into being initially?
J Alexander:
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Some faculty members were treating other faculty members, students, and A&P staffers poorly,
and there was little recourse for that poor treatment.
M Genao-Homs:
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Bullying is not covered in the current university policies, but i can see why it probably should be
separated from this proposed guideline.
Are Human Resources, the deans, and vice-presidents capable of judging the merits of a
complaint? The current case of S Atsalis seems to indicate that there is either no guidance or no
competence to advocate for complainants in situations related to disrespectful conduct toward
A&P employees.
K Gleiss:
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Some A&P employees in the Learning Resource Center adopted a poor image of millennial
students, and aired their feelings when students were present. I had to mention in a staff meeting
that we should remember to climate we are creating.
M Genao-Homs:
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So, under our current policies and contracts, conduct toward A&P employees have to get really
bad (for example, rise to the level of sexual harassment), before the university could take action.
There doesn’t appear to be guidance for how to handle lower-intensity conflicts, and there’s also
no process in place for a formal complaint process or assigning an advocate to hear and
represent someone who files a complaint.
K Gleiss:
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Even though the proposed guidelines would not provide a concrete protection, they would provide
a situational improvement and a process that makes the complaint more valid and visible within
the systems that already exist for UPI and AFSCME employees.
L Moreno:
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S Atsalis could have benefitted from having such a policy or guideline in place. She is going to
many different places, trying to be heard.
J Alexander:
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Could the university Ombuds take on the role of advocate for A&P employees who file
complaints?
M Genao-Homs:
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We could involve the Ombuds, but he would not take any side in a conflict. His role is more as a
mediator.
T Tobin:
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Based on what we’ve discussed, I will 1) draft a revising the existing document to include who is
responsible, definitions of model and infringing behavior, and a form and process for reporting
and high-level advocacy; 2) bring the draft to senior leadership (e.g., F Ross); and 3) bring it to
the A&P constituency as part of our next formal meeting.
J Alexander:
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The VPs could rotate in the advocate role.
L Moreno:
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I will contact L Pezzarossi to get more background information about the original intent of the
policy, as well.
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A&P Web Page
MR Lamadrid-Quevedo:
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I was able to update the names for the A&P Council on the web site, but pictures still are a
challenge.
I will meet with L Pezzarossi again and learn more about how to update the A&P web site.
Spring 2015 A&P Council Meetings
L Moreno:
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Next A&P Council meeting: February 25, 2015, 1:00 pm.
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