TO: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]); [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) Dear Members of the Critical Incident Management Team and the Office of the President, The first two week of classes saw 1,414 self-reported COVID-19 cases on campus. Iowa City is experiencing one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the country. Safety measures on campus clearly are not working and continuation of face-to-face instruction puts graduate students and non-tenure track faculty disproportionately at risk.  Holding in-person classes is irresponsible for the safety of workers and for the safety of the wider community.  As a graduate worker, I am writing to demand you to protect worker health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic in the following ways: - The University must move all Fall semester classes online immediately to mitigate the public health disaster created by Fall reopening.  - No cuts, no layoffs: Protect people, not the endowment! A global pandemic is not an excuse for austerity measures that take away workers’ livelihoods when they need them the most. - The University must ensure adequate work accommodations for graduate workers who are tasked with childcare, eldercare, or other domestic/private duties due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated job losses, layoffs, and adjustments to K-12 curriculum delivery.  - The University must immediately and directly include COGS/UE Local 896, graduate bodies of shared governance, and diverse graduate organizations in planning, decision-making, and information dissemination regarding operations at the University of Iowa for the 2020-2021 academic year.  [Your Name] [Your appointment] [Department you work in]