The University of Idaho announced on Tuesday details of a furlough plan that will affect 2,600 faculty and staff members statewide during the remainder of the academic year.
The university's president, M. Duane Nellis, had told employees last week that he would order the furloughs, making use of new authority recently approved by the State Board of Education.
In a news release, the university characterized the furloughs as a temporary cost-savings measure.
Furlough time will vary according to salary, with the most highly compensated employees taking the most unpaid leave. Information on the university's Web site outlines salary tiers, ranging from Tier 1 ($22,500 to $32,499) to Tier 6 ($200,000 and above), and the amounts of time off employees at each level must take.
Faculty members on nine-month contracts will have until May 15 to complete their furloughs. Other employees have until June 25.
"We recognize that this requires a financial sacrifice," Mr. Nellis said in a letter to employees. But he said the move is necessary because of cuts in state funds.
John A. Miller, a law professor and chairman of the Faculty Senate, had suggested canceling classes so the furloughs would not amount to unpaid labor, according to the student newspaper, The Argonaut. But Mr. Nellis said classes would not be canceled "unless other mitigating or extreme circumstances require it."
Comments
1. jffoster - March 03, 2010 at 07:36 am
Re the last paragraph, then isn't calling these reductions in salary "furloghs" a flat out lie? Who wants to work for or go to a universiy that lies?
2. mmccross - March 03, 2010 at 08:08 am
I hope this doesn't happen, but I'm wondering if this plan and its structure will be adopted by presidents of public universities in other states in the rocky mtn. west. By my calculations, if this formula was applied to my current salary it would result in a significant reduction in my income over the next four months. The consequences for my family's standard of living would be serious. After fixed costs (mortgage, health insurance, food, transportation, etc.) are accounted for, most faculty at public universities in this region live close to the edge, with little 'disposable' income and little or no savings. Better furloughs than firings, but this will be a heavy blow.
3. gberkleycoats - March 03, 2010 at 08:25 am
I am sure that the administration at U of Idaho is aware of the fact that any international employees that they have who are in H-1B - employment authorization status - may NOT be furloughed. To do so would amount to "benching," which is not allowed under the terms of an H-1B. Gerald W. Berkley-Coats - Non-student visa coordinator for Virginia Tech
4. barbzirk - March 03, 2010 at 11:17 am
To continue classes but furlough faculty and staff amounts to slave labor. Even more, if you read further, benefits are curtailed and pensions not paid...so the furlough is more than just affecting salary! Glad I don't work there!
5. one_observer - March 03, 2010 at 11:45 am
The University of Idaho is not the first public institution to furlough faculty and staff. It is, however, to my knowledge, the first to implement a progressive plan in doing so. I'm a current employee (tier 2, if you bother to look at the plan:
(http://www.uidaho.edu/humanresources/furlough/furloughtiers.aspx) and am hardly well off. The new furlough policy requires me to take 9 hours unpaid, at whatever time I so choose, in the next 4 months (I can take 1 hour a week if I like, for example).
Unfortunately the issue is the state government of Idaho and their perpetual slashing of funding for higher education. There is very little "fat" in the U of I budget and unfortunately these furloughs are a last resort. That said, the plan is far more humane than any of the others I've read about (California, Arizona and Nevada come to mind) and has not been implemented carelessly.
6. one_observer - March 03, 2010 at 11:48 am
Also, #2 mmcross - this plan *has* been implemented in other Rocky mountain states and in a far more sweeping manner. Arizona is requring 10-12 days, Nevada over 5, and these furloughs are across the board. Idaho's plan doesn't require the lowest earners to take any furlough.
7. tony__ross - March 03, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Welcome to our world in California. All 23 campuses in the California State University system have been on mandatory furloughs (for all employees) since July. 2 days a month (24 days) for 09-10, which amounts to approximately a 10% decrease in pay for employees. Not fun, but necessary in some respects given the budget woes of the state.
8. johnblee - March 03, 2010 at 02:24 pm
We did a quick review of states that had required public college and university faculty to take a furlough in 2009. The column shows what the percent reducation in salary would be represented by the number of days on furlough. If anyone else knows of other states with furlough days I would appreciate knowing about them.
Hawaii -6.7
Colorado -1.5
Virginia -0.4
Connecticut -1.5
Georgia 3.3 -2.3
Maryland -2.3
Louisiana -3.0
California -5.0
New Jersey -3.8
Delaware -3.7
9. kbump_12 - March 03, 2010 at 05:32 pm
Arizona State did furloughs last year, as well. I think we had 10 days at the $32,000 mark, but I believe it was tiered so that others took up to 15 days. It is public knowledge, so please feel free to look at how they did it, johnblee.
10. 22234131 - March 03, 2010 at 05:35 pm
I thought that working without pay was called slavery---
11. jffoster - March 03, 2010 at 08:53 pm
Not quite, 10. It's called "community service".