As members volunteer and are mandated to work in person at school sites, the BTU has created an online reporting form in order to document positive and suspected COVID cases. This online reporting form can also be used to report:

• violations of the Teacher and PSRP Contracts
• violations of the MOU we recently negotiated to protect members, and
• violations of the District’s Safety and Health Guidelines.

This form is NOT meant to replace reported violations sent to supervisors, it is a supplement that will allow union membership a single, consistent, and safe place to report to BTU so that we are able to most efficiently and effectively support staff.

Every provision of the PSRP contract and Teacher contract remain in enforcement during distance learning, so contract violations can also be reported using the online form. While we are still enforcing the regular Teacher and PSRP Contracts, they do not cover many of the unforeseen circumstances brought on by the pandemic and the virtual learning environment. My negotiating team and I engaged in more than 19 days of negotiations to secure protections in a Memorandum Of Understanding (“MOU”).

One of these protections was a binding commitment that every worksite and school must adhere to the health and safety guidelines and standard operating procedures set forth in the most current version of City Schools’ Health & Safety Guide or any updated version of this document. BTU is able to grieve violations of the district’s written operating procedures and guidelines along with the other provisions in the MOU, so we ask any member who witnesses a violation to fill out our online reporting tool.

We know that the District’s Health and Safety Guidelines are long and while we encourage members to read them in their entirety, we know that not everyone will have the time. Therefore we have created a 1 pager summarizing some of the most relevant information from the Health and Safety Guide. We also recognize that the MOU is written in legal language that isn’t the easiest to read and understand. Therefore we’ve created a 1 pager summarizing the most relevant aspects of the MOU for reopening schools.

We will continue fighting for your safety whether you are working at home, or in a building whether voluntary or mandated. Please email info@baltu.org or your field rep if you have questions about how to fill out this form.

In solidarity,

President Brown