[Plantsci] University Furlough and Pay Reduction Programs Update

Tue May 12 07:42:19 MST 2020

Hello All,

Please ensure you read this update from President Robbins concerning the delay in the Furlough program until July 1st.

To stay up to day on Furlough, please continuously visit: https://hr.arizona.edu/FY-2020-2021-Furlough-Program#expanded-tables

Thank you,

Erin

Erin Korte |  Human Resources Generalist II
[Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension]
My office: 520-621-1978| Main SPLS office: 520-621-1977

*As preventative measure, the SPLS Business Office will be mainly working remotely. Please email any requests and we will work with you through this period. At this time, the SPLS business office will be open 10am-12pm with one staff member if needed. Thank you for your patience and understanding 😊

From: President Robert C. Robbins <president at comms.arizona.edu>
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2020 8:16 PM
Subject: University Furlough and Pay Reduction Programs Update

In the weeks since our announcement of the University Furlough and Pay Reduction Program, we have heard from many of you as to how we can improve the program. Thank you. Your thoughts and concerns have helped guide us in modifying the original plan.

To view this email as a web page, go here.<http://view.comms.arizona.edu/?qs=86eceeba7cb85da0d05b4f0a6abeda40ec079d9656aea8322a3bba8d3c09fe5b7d16f058eaa24ef53a6637e0d4a3a4999b20546c849e305cc0fafaea888cb4d2d9ebf36047f2f6df5e7a003ff9589334>
[University of Arizona logo]

[Executive Office of the President]
Dear Colleagues,
In the weeks since our announcement of the University Furlough and Pay Reduction Program, we have heard from many of you as to how we can improve the program. In town hall  sessions and in conversations with shared governance leaders and Human Resources colleagues, you have expressed concerns and shared proposed improvements regarding the program’s flexibility, complexity, and immediacy. Thank you. Your thoughts and concerns have helped guide us in modifying the original plan.

Following approval in accord with Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) policies, I would like to share the following:

  *   Implementation will be delayed until July 1, 2020. Many of you have asked for more time to prepare for the financial impact on your households, and similarly, unit leaders have requested more time to plan for reduced workloads and adjusted organizational operations.
  *   On July 1, 2020, we will begin a furlough-based salary program for most employees. In this modified program, an employee’s annual salary will reflect an equivalent pay reduction consistent with the number of furlough days as outlined in the original program. For part-time employees, the percentage pay reduction will reflect annual salaries adjusted by FTE.
  *   Employees earning $44,500 or more participating in the furlough-based salary program will now receive a balance of Personal Flex Time days –  the total days being the same as the number of furlough days in the original program. These days will be paid and employees, in coordination with their supervisors, will determine when to take them throughout the year. More details, including scenarios capturing different faculty and staff examples, will be available on the Human Resources website later this week.
  *   Administrators earning $300,000 or more annually, including executive administrators, participating in the furlough-based salary program will not receive a balance of Personal Flex Time days. Further, the most senior University leaders and I voluntarily began pay reductions in March. We will continue those pay reductions.
  *   We are seeking approval through ABOR policies to increase the maximum allowable amount of vacation leave hours that can transfer from one calendar year to the next. This is to ensure that our employees can retain as much vacation leave during the implementation of this program for use in the future.
  *   The supplemental pay programs known as Other Professional Services (OPS) and Supplemental Compensation utilized across our campus community by faculty and staff will now be exempt from reductions or reduced rates during this program.
Now that I have addressed the changes, I would like to emphasize several key points:

  *   Employees charging effort (hours) to sponsored programs will have their furlough day requirements reduced in proportion to the amount of their appointment time that is sponsored. For researchers holding academic year appointments that proportion is related to their 1600-hour base. For researchers holding fiscal year appointments, that proportion is related to their 2080-hour base.
  *   Employees who were previously exempted from participation in the originally communicated furlough program will continue to remain exempt. This includes those earning less than $44,500 annually.
  *   As our University colleagues, employees in the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics will continue to participate in the program. Athletic coaches with ABOR contracts and not previously subject to the original program have volunteered to participate and take pay reductions.
Despite these improvements, the financial challenges the University is facing have not changed. We do believe, however, the changes outlined above facilitate more predictable and evenly applied savings to the institution, while also providing greater flexibility and consistency for us all.

We remain committed to continuing evaluation of the University’s financial position as circumstances develop to determine whether we can lessen the burden on our employees. We know that some of you were already planning to take furlough days this week, and we thank you for your quick action to ensure savings to the institution this fiscal year. Human Resources is ready to assist both employees and supervisors in revisiting future plans and discussing best options under this modified program.

Thank you for your adaptability, determination and compassion in fine-tuning this program so that we can achieve our goals and minimize, as much as possible, the disruption of our mission. I truly appreciate all your efforts to help our University survive and thrive during these unprecedented times.

Stay safe and Bear Down.

Robert C. Robbins, M.D.

President
The University of Arizona

–This email is being sent to all faculty, staff and DCCs

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US

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