COVID19 Update Regarding Vaccination and Testing

The New York State Court Clerks is writing to provide you an update about the recent policy of the Unified Court System to become effective in September.  The policy provides that court employees who do not provide proof they are vaccinated must submit to weekly testing.  UCS is not implementing mandatory vaccination, however that may change depending on circumstances at hand, and the Association will challenge any such directive and any implementation related to the same that fail to comply with all applicable laws and regulations. During the proceeding weeks, the labor unions of UCS have been discussing the aspects of the new policy with UCS Labor relations.  There were many other concerns raised by the Unions to Labor Relations.  Although many of the proposals sought by UCS ignore the realities surrounding weekly testing in New York City, the Unions are continuing to fight for acceptable terms to bring back to our members.  We have also reiterated that any unilateral attempts by UCS to institute a policy without bargaining until fruition with the Unions will not go unchallenged. During this time, we also intend to continue to advocating strict compliance with COVID workplace protocols, such as social distancing, proper PPE and ventilation to ensure that the best interest of our members and their loved ones are protected. We will provide more updates as they become available.