After a long weekend celebrating the struggle of workers to secure better working conditions, we find ourselves in the middle of the clearest example in decades of the importance and continued need for collective bargaining and strong unions.

On Tuesday, Winona State University announced it is enacting a 14-day campus quarantine beginning Sept. 8. The quarantine will limit all non-essential activities on campus for the next two weeks in a concerted effort to slow a rapid increase in the spread of COVID-19 in Winona.

Although Winona is the first campus to take action to slow the spread in response to an outbreak, we do not expect it to be the last.

From the beginning of the pandemic your local faculty associations and the statewide IFO have advocated for three core policies:

Employees whose work can be performed remotely should be permitted to telework if they choose, and faculty should be permitted to teach (and advise) remotely if they need/want to.
Employees whose work cannot be performed remotely should be accommodated if they establish that they or a member of their household are at increased risk for severe illness as defined by the CDC.
No student should be required to attend classes or otherwise participate in campus activities face to face if they choose to do so remotely.

As our communities face the continued spread of this deadly virus, we remain committed to protecting each of our faculty, coaches, counselors, students, and staff. If you are put in a situation where you or someone you know feels unsafe, please let your local faculty association know as soon as possible.

Also, we encourage you to regularly check the IFO COVID Information Page at www.ifo.org/covid19-info. This site will be updated regularly and includes both resources and FAQ’s.

Thank you for your continued support and please stay safe and wear a mask.