We had hoped to use this space today to share with you specific syllabus language, added details about EMU's COVID mitigation protocols, and most importantly, answers to concerns and questions many of you have shared with us over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, our ability to do so has been hindered to the extreme by the Administration's continued lack of transparency and inclusion. Almost all questions we have put forth, have remained unanswered. Instead, in recent communication, EMU administration insinuated that EMUFT is engaged in spreading misinformation. Let's be clear, asking questions and sharing employee concerns with the administration does NOT constitute spreading misinformation and we are outraged about this accusation.

As many of you are aware, EMUFT filed a demand to bargain over health and safety concerns regarding EMU's Fall Reopening Protocols on August 9, 2021. This action came as direct result of repeated attempts to engage with the Administration regarding their plans; all of which went unheeded.

We had tried to ascertain more information regarding COVID protocol planning for the fall since mid-July in our weekly standing meeting with Academic HR. The questions we put forth to AHR in each meeting, we summarized in an email on August 3, 2021, after our August 2 meeting was cancelled by AHR. We have yet to receive an answer addressing most of these questions.

We reiterated many of our concerns and questions during the single bargaining meeting we have had with Administration since filing the demand to bargain. We were assured that your concerns would be taken up to the next level and that we would receive additional information the following session.

Preceding the second bargaining session, we filed a PERA request to gather data that we still maintain is necessary to make informed decisions about assessing EMU's COVID protocol. As we have the legal right to determine our bargaining team, we also added two observers from EMU-AAUP to our group as we have been actively collaborating with our faculty colleagues on this front. These two actions on our part seemed to have necessitated the inclusion of legal counsel on part of the Administration. They conseqeuntly cancelled the second bargaining session scheduled for August 24. It has yet to be rescheduled.

This past Friday, August 27, 2021, we hosted a Townhall for EMUFT members. During this townhall, some of you voiced several additional concerns specifically related to the current protocol. We shared your questions and concerns with the Administration following our meeting via email. Again, we have not received any direct response to our questions. Instead in reply to a follow-up email requesting a date for the continuation of our bargaining sessions, it was insinuated that we are engaged in spreading misinformation. We reject this insinutation.

Not only is the apparent unwillingness of EMU Administration to engage in a normal, professional manner with one of the locals representing a significant portion of the instructional staff hard to comprehend, but to dismiss the reasonable questions and concerns brought forth by the same instructional staff is simply outrageous.