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representing Non-instructional and select Instructional Academic Staff

TO: BRENDA LEAHY & TERRY WIRKUS, ACADEMIC STAFF COUNCIL CO-CHAIRS

FROM: TROY RICHTER, SALARY AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE CHAIR

DATE: OCTOBER 31, 2011

RE: UNCLASSIFIED STAFF PERSONNEL RULES RECOMMENDATION

On behalf of the Salary and Personnel Committee, I’d like to forward our recommendations to the Academic Staff Council. The committee has met weekly throughout the month of October to discuss the Unclassified Personnel Guidelines (UPG) in order to make our recommendations. Additionally, we have attended several of the open forums on the UPGs in order to gain additional insight from our campus constituents.

Several broad themes emerged from our discussions and the forums. These themes include:

• The need for fairness and equity in the development of the "new" system.
• The need for the preservation of existing benefits/policies and a restoration of full benefits. We do not want to lose additional ground. We would rather see all groups (classified, unclassified and faculty) have the best/highest level of benefits and policy considerations. Raise the bottom, not lower the top or middle.
• The need for uniformity and consistency amongst employees and institutions.
• The need for representation from all groups.
• The need for job security for all classified, unclassified and faculty.

With respect to these overarching themes, we are making the following recommendations for this first step of the review of Non-Instructional Academic Staff (NIAS) UPG:

1. Compression issues: We highly recommend setting up a system of lanes that would include years of service similar to ones used in many school districts. A huge need exists for dealing with the compression of salaries of loyal UWL employees.
2. Job Security: We need to utilize a system of multi-year and rolling horizon contracts that provide greater job security for NIAS.
3. Title Review: Current system stops advancement. Need to address Program Manager Series. Additionally, greater flexibility in changing title as position roles change. Many of us have seen significant changes to our responsibilities without any retitling process.
4. Salary Range: Ranges are somewhat useless at UWL. There is a need to move more NIAS out of the bottom end of the range. Possibility of the removal of salary cap and a review of the ranges every 2-4 years. When the bottom of the range is increased, all employees within the range should be moved up equitably. We would like to see a review of UWL’s NIAS salary range position as it compares to other UW System institutions. We highly recommend setting up a system of lanes that would include years of service similar to ones used in many school districts.
5. Tuition Reimbursement: We would like to see a restoration of this benefit. It seems fitting in an educational institution that continued compensated learning should be supported for the employee and possibly for dependents.

The committee did not identify any Tier II or Tier III items at this time. We would like to see a restoration of full benefits, a preservation of current benefits, and a greater level of consistency and equity with the application of benefits and policies across the UW System.