Staff senators reject work resolution

FAYETTEVILLE — Staff leaders on Thursday voted down a resolution supporting “employee choice in continuing to work remotely” if on-campus classes resume this fall.

The university, like other schools, shut down in-person classes because of the pandemic. Most employees have been working remotely since March 19.

The staff senate voted 23-5 against the resolution, said Trish Watkins, chairwoman of the group. One member abstained.

The resolution wasn’t a policy but would have expressed the group’s sentiment. The faculty senate leadership group on April 29 approved an almost identical resolution. A staff group internal affairs committee studied the resolution, Watkins said.

The committee recommended against approval, citing reasons that included existing planning by the university that is to take into consideration concerns of workers in high-risk groups, Watkins said.

Anyone can be sickened by the coronavirus, but older adults and those with underlying conditions are more at risk for serious complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The committee also cited a campus policy on telecommuting as something that should give employees additional flexibility to work remotely, Watkins said.

The resolution would have stated that the staff group “supports employee choice in continuing to work remotely — be they staff or faculty — out of overwhelming concern for their personal well-being.”