The latest UW policy communicated to ASEs working from abroad 🌍
File a declaration committing to a date for entering the US; failure to enter by that date will be considered a resignation.
Additionally, depts cannot grant new appointments to ASEs unable to enter the country.
Conversation
This declaration directly contradicts UW’s blanket recommendation for telework through 9/10/21 and is a violation of our collective bargaining agreement🚫
We’ve filed a grievance citing its disproportionate impacts on international students that is yet to be resolved.
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, international ASEs have been impacted by a series of disorganized, haphazardly communicated policies that exacerbate the complexities of navigating life in this current moment.
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In this op-ed drafted by our International Solidarity Working Group, international ASEs Ramya Kumar () and Tina Sesay share their experiences working from Zambia and Sierra Leone and the negative impacts of this newest policy:
It aggravates uncertainty around our futures that the pandemic has wrought: “It takes a mental toll...I struggle with internet issues, unstable electricity and water supply, and intermittent cash shortages; having yet another obstacle added has been demotivating and frustrating.”
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“The reality is that we are abroad for many uncontrollable reasons (e.g. embassy closures, travel restrictions, care-taking responsibilities, health issues, financial limitations) while shouldering the risks that working from abroad may have on our taxes, visa regulations...”
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“The UW’s current policies are little more than narrow-sighted attempts to brute force [an in-person] reality into existence at the expense of its international community members who are bearing the costs, risks, and responsibilities for making it happen.”
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As the UW looks to a largely in-person Fall quarter, we expect further complications for our international community members. To get involved in organizing around these issues or to keep up to date, reach out to intl-workgroup@uaw4121.org.
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