Pending union contract not mentioned in NCC mask controversy

                                                                                 

To mask or not to mask?

A salient factor was missing from the news coverage yesterday of the mask mandate controversy at Nassau Community College. And it has nothing to do with health or prevention of the Covid-19 coronavirus:

There is a proposed collective bargaining agreement for a new college administrators union  pending before the Republican-controlled Nassau legislature, which is expected to vote on it in two weeks.

Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman submitted the deal for approval in November. 

That is prelude to the mask controvers, which began -- and ended -- yesterday.

To recap: A school administrator around noon on Friday announced that Nassau Community College would require masks to be worn indoors by students and visitors because of a spike in coronavirus infections as well as increases in other respiratory infections, including the flu.

A few hours later, the school rescinded the order after Blakeman, who was elected last year in part by opposing school mask mandates, talked to the college president.

Blakeman posted this on his Facebook Page:

There is dispute among experts as to whether face masks prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. Some say masks make no difference in transmissions; others say it helps prevent infection especially if people with symptoms wear masks. 

But regardless of health concerns, could the college administrators have been worried that their proposed retroactive salary increases and compensation would go down if the mask mandates went up.

It's certainly worth considering. And mentioning.

The proposed agreement with the Nassau Community College Administrators Association would run from Sept. 1,  2017 to August 31, 2022.

It calls for a one-time cash payment of $156,000 to be distributed among members of the bargaining unit, and salary increases ranging from 1.75 percent to 2 percent for every year since 2017.

The agreement says it is the first between the union and the college. It must be ratified by the college board of trustees and the county legislature.

It doesn't say how many people are members of the unit but it describes them as "the managers and supervisors" employed by Nassau Community College.

Now, private sector employees may not understand why managers and supervisors are entitled to union representation, but the NCCAA was certified as the negotiating representative for the bargaining unit by the New York State Public Employment Relations Board in Jan. 2017, the agreement says.

They are also entitled to longevity pay and compensatory time for "extraordinary service" in excess of the regular 6.75 hour workday as determined by the "appropriate vice president," the proposed agreement says.

Here is the staff summary of the deal: