-----Original Message-----
From: Harrison,
Susan M.
Sent: Wednesday,
September 26, 2001 8:01 AM
To:
Senate, University
Subject:
4.2% PAY PLAN may be in jeopardy
Faculty,
You may have heard that the Department of Employment Relations (DER) Secretary may be contemplating decoupling faculty salaries from academic staff salaries for the purpose of reducing the pay plan for academic staff. Some of you may have even participated in the letter campaign of two weeks ago. Now there are also rumors that a plan to reduce the pay plan for EVERYONE (faculty and academic staff) may be considered. Recommended salary increases might be closer to that of classified staff (1% and 2%) rather than the Board of Regents recommended 4.2%.
It is CRITICAL that we make three arguments: (1) we shouldn't be decoupled; (2) we need the 4.2% to keep from losing ground; and (3) the 4.2% plan is already fully funded!
The DER secretary will make his recommendation before the 9:00 a.m. Legislature's Joint committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) meeting on October 3, 2001. The JCOER members may modify the DER recommendation (restore the full 4.2% or reduce the plan to 1% and 2% for everyone or some other modification). THEREFORE, it is CRITICAL that any action you want to take be taken NOW!
NOTE - all contact to legislatures and the Governor MUST be made using personal letterhead, email, phone lines, and faxes. Use of campus materials and supplies is inappropriate and will significantly hinder the campaign effort.
To assist you in any efforts you may put forth in support of the 4.2% pay plan, the following information is being provided.
Contact the Governor by: (The number of contacts are counted in the Governor's office! This would be a great place to start!)
email from your personal
home account: wisgov@gov.state.wi.us
fax from your personal fax
machine: 608-267-8983
phone from your personal
phone: 608-266-1212
mail on your own
letterhead: Office of the Governor, 115 East State Capitol, Madison, WI 53702
Contact the JCOER members and
copy your personal legislative member:
Sen. Fred Risser, PO Box 7887,
Madison WI 53707
608-266-1627; fax
608-266-1629; sen.risser@legis.state.wi.us
Sen. Chuck Chvala, PO Box
7887, Madison WI 53707
608-266-1970; fax
608-266-5087; sen.chvala@legis.state.wi.us
Sen. Mary Panzer, PO Box 7887,
Madison WI 53707
608-266-7513; fax
608-267-0590; sen.panzer@legis.state.wi.us
Sen. Brian Burke, PO Box 7887,
Madison WI 53707
608-266-8535; fax
608-267-0274; sen.burke@legis.state.wi.us
Rep. Spencer Black, PO Box
8952, Madison WI 53708
608-266-7521; fax
608-266-3677; rep.black@legis.state.wi.us
Speaker Scott Jensen, PO Box
8952, Madison WI 53708
608-266-3387; fax
608-282-3632; rep.Jensen@legis.state.wi.us
Rep. Steve Foti, PO Box 8952,
Madison WI 53708
608-266-2401; fax
608-282-3638; rep.foti@legis.state.wi.us
Rep. John Gard, PO Box 8952,
Madison WI 53708
608-266-2343; fax
608-264-8346; rep.gard@legis.state.wi.us
REMINDERS:
- The unclassified pay plan (4.2% each year) is already funded in the UW budget. More than half of this funding does NOT come from the state's compensation reserve. Therefore, any reduction in the proposed pay plan would not save the state any money or provide additional funding for other state employees.
- Category A (professional) and Category B (instructional and research) academic staff are distinct from classified employees and the UW System and the DER carefully documented those distinctions in a joint study in 1993. Those distinctions remain through the administration of a Memorandum of Agreement between the DER Secretary and the UW System President. [Use examples of faculty and academic staff (particularly professional Category A academic staff - such as those in Academic and Career Services, Counseling Services, Health Services, Financial Aids, Media Development Center, Registration and many other areas) to illustrate the JOINT contributions to economic development.]
- The UW System's unclassified academic staff are also distinct from the UW System's classified staff. The UW System has 9,000 employees who provide services similar to those found in other state agencies who are designated as classified civil service employees.
- Unlike classified civil service employees who achieve "permanent status," unclassified academic staff are, in a large part, contract employees who serve on one and two-year appointments without job security.
- Academic staff are professionals who influence the quality of education received by students: deans, librarians, advisors, counselors, financial aid officers, career planning and placement, residence hall managers, instructional staff. They are lecturers, faculty associates and assistants, and clinical professors: excellent teachers providing a significant portion of instruction, particularly at the undergraduate level. The are cartographers, geologists, medical illustrators, engineers, and attorneys. They are researchers, scientists, physicians, laboratory managers, principal investigators, and unit directors involved directly in and in charge or scientific research that affects the quality of life of people in Wisconsin and around the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Susan Harrison, Associate
Professor
University Senate
Chair's Office: 715-836-5288
Old Library 1134
Senate Office: 715-836-3419
University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire
105 Garfield Avenue PO Box 4004
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
Phil. 4:13