A group of staff members, faculty and graduate students at the University of Arizona is forming a union on campus.
The group said its efforts to negotiate with senior leaders on their plans for returning to campus have been unsuccessful.
Members of the Coalition for Academic Justice at the University of Arizona (CAJUA) say senior leaders at the school continue to prioritize finances over the well-being of the community.
Associate professor Leila Hudson said the current re-entry plan, phased in over three weeks, doesn't account for the incubation period for coronavirus or adequate evaluation of the impact of each phase.
“If reopening the university with this plan results in rising cases, we would not see that increase until the third week, at which point half of the university would already have returned to campus," she said.
Hudson said the leadership team won’t discuss under what conditions it would consider changing its plan or reducing the number of people on campus.
