URGE Management and Union Come to an Agreement on COVID-19 Impacts

 
 
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kaitlin Bell, NPEU, kbell@npeu.org, 806-752-0529

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2022 - Workers of URGE, Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity’s (URGE’s) staff union, negotiated and finalized a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with URGE management on health, safety, and well-being protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights from the agreement include:

  • Additional paid time off: An additional 13.18 days of COVID sick leave and an additional eight days of COVID bereavement leave.

  • Reduced hours on Fridays: Employees may work alternating whole-day Fridays or work a half-day every Friday with their supervisor’s approval.

  • Remote work utility stipend and office equipment: URGE will provide a monthly stipend of $75 to all employees, including a prorated amount for part-time employees in the bargaining unit. URGE management will also provide employees with equipment to support a remote office, including covering the cost of additional furniture, purchasing and upgrading equipment, and other necessities to maintain a home office. 

  • Employer-provided PPE: URGE management will reimburse or add funds to employees emburse card for PPE purchases for personal use up to $50 a month with a receipt, including 10 N95 or equivalent masks per month, hand sanitizer, and related materials upon request. If masks are not available to an employee in their geographic area, management will mail them upon request.

  • Mandatory telework: During the COVID-19 pandemic, employees will be required to telework. Some employees may be required to go into the office or attend in-person work activities periodically. Employees required to perform in-person work activities will have the opportunity to request a medical exemption to in-person work requirements. Any employee who is required to attend an in-person event will receive five days notice before having to perform in-person work, use of URGE’s rideshare platform or reimbursement for mileage, reimbursement for PPE, and use of sick leave for COVID-19 testing. 

  • Voluntary in-person work not considered in performance reviews: While URGE continues the Working Remotely Mandate, employees’ decisions to opt-out of voluntary travel or non-essential office work will not be considered in staff performance evaluation.

  • Health and safety accommodations in URGE workspaces: Management will make reasonable efforts to ensure that any office space they provide to URGE staff meets the needs of employees who use the spaces, including health and safety needs.

  • Employees exposed to, showing symptoms of, or confirmed to have COVID-19 cannot come to in-person events or workplaces: Employees will not come into the office or in-person events if they are experiencing any symptoms related to COVID-19 symptoms (namely, cough, fever, sore throat, shortness of breath, body aches, chills or fatigue), or they have a confirmed or likely exposure to COVID-19. If any employee develops any of those same symptoms while at work, that employee shall return home immediately.

  • URGE will perform contract tracing for employees exposed to COVID-19: If an URGE employee contracts COVID-19 and has come into the office or in contact with other staff at in-person events, contact tracing will be done to determine which employees came in contact with that person during the previous five days. URGE management will immediately inform all employees who were potentially exposed, and those employees will follow the protocols regarding COVID-19 exposure. The office will be cleaned and disinfected per CDC guidelines before in person access resumes.

  • URGE management will bargain with the union regarding a return to mandatory in-person work: URGE management will provide the union representatives in advance of reopening to negotiate over the impact on employees of returning to in-person work.

“As the pandemic’s effects continue to be felt, this MOU is an accomplishment and a necessary safeguard for staff at URGE,” said the Workers of URGE staff union. “We look forward to continuing working with management to ensure the safest workplace possible for our unit.”

About NPEU: 

The Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), a local of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, represents professionals employed at 49 organizations in Washington, DC and across the country. NPEU gives nonprofit workers a voice to strengthen their workplaces and continue to do work that makes a difference in people’s lives.

 
Kaitlin Bell