(ALBANY, NEW YORK) - Once again, United University Professions (UUP) has reached agreement with New York State to extend a telecommuting policy for State University of New York (SUNY) Employees through the end of June.

The agreement took effect on January 1st and is set to expire on June 30th.

Both sides came to terms on the agreement in late December.

UUP President Fred Kowal said: “With a rise in COVID cases across the State and country, and the advent of yet another new dominant strain of COVID, it is necessary and prudent to extend this agreement.  We will continue working closely with SUNY to implement this extension.”

The extension includes no changes to the previous telecommuting program.

UUP was one of the first Unions in the U.S. to secure a telecommuting policy for its Members.

The initial program was signed on March 13th, 2020.

Under the policy, management will determine the number of days and which days that Employees are allowed to commute per pay period, based on operational need.

Employees must submit applications to work remotely.

Employees can work remotely for up to five days per pay period.

According to the policy, the telecommuting program was put in place “to support implementation of telecommuting programs, where desired, establish guidelines designed to clearly articulate Employee and campus expectations, and provide an additional vehicle for employee development while offering campus management the flexibility to operate a successful telecommuting program and plan for future workforce needs.”

Read The Full Agreement HERE.