UUP survey to seek family-leave experiences

When Jamie Dangler, a UUP member from SUNY Cortland, needed to take time off for the birth of her second child, she took a leave of absence without pay. It was an option that worked for her and her husband. But it’s not a viable option for everyone — the women and men of the University who sometimes need to make choices between their professions and their families.

Family leave for working men and women is an issue that is attracting more and more attention at SUNY and UUP. And Dangler, working with UUP Vice President for Professionals John Marino and others, is putting a spotlight on it in an attempt to develop a consistent, family-friendly policy throughout the University.

The first step toward that goal, according to Marino, is a survey to determine the needs and experiences of union members who are increasingly faced with family issues that might take them away from their jobs for extended periods.

“Every campus approaches family leave differently,” Marino said. “There are progressive options out there, but there are also some horror stories.”

Dangler, an associate professor of sociology, has seen some of those “horror” stories: “I’ve seen women who are literally back in the classroom a week after giving birth. ... We’ve lost some very talented young faculty because their family-leave needs couldn’t be accommodated by the college.”

UUP wants to know what other members’ experiences — good and bad — have been. Working with the union’s Research Department, Dangler is developing a survey to be distributed through chapter leaders during the later part of the fall semester, with results tabulated by late winter. Those results will be ready for the UUP Negotiations Team to consider as it puts together a proposal for the next round of bargaining.

“We’re not looking for our members’ opinion of family leave,” Dangler stressed. “The survey will be specifically designed to find out actual experiences and needs in the areas of maternity and paternity; adoption; elder care; and the care of sick relatives and domestic partners.”

Marino said the data, and the subsequent response to it, will enhance the University.

“If we’re going to attract and retain good faculty, we have to make sure we don’t put people in the position of choosing between their jobs or their families.”

— Frank Maurizio