More than 1,100 Davis campus employees responded to Staff Assembly’s survey last week on employee furloughs — something that the UC system is considering, as UC President Mark Yudof reminded in an April 7 memo posted on Human Resources’ At Your Service Web site.

Neither Yudof nor the Board of Regents has taken action on furloughs or pay cuts, but Yudof’s memo indicated that the Office of the President is preparing a contingency plan and a standing order, to be authorized by the regents, that would serve as “a broad legal framework to allow for both systemwide and campus-by-campus furloughs and salary reductions, should deteriorating financial conditions so require.”

Staff Assembly Chair Peter Blando, business services manager for Communications Resources, said April 14 that the survey results were being compiled, and a preliminary report would be delivered to the administration this week.

“We’re definitely pleased with the response,” Blando said. “When 1,100 people take the time to do a survey … it means that there is a definitely a lot of interest in this issue, and they want to provide their input to the administration.”

Karen Hull, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources, said, “As part of the budget planning process, we appreciate feedback from all UC Davis employees.

“Staff Assembly’s survey is an effective strategy for gathering the perspectives of staff regarding furloughs, and their voice is important to hear as we consider various options for addressing budget reductions.”

She reminded employees of “another important avenue” for feedback: SmartSite.

The Staff Assembly survey does not address something else that the Office of the President is considering: pay cuts. Blando said Staff Assembly may prepare a second survey, one that might ask people to state their preferences for layoffs, pay cuts or furloughs.

“There might also be a ‘none of the above,’” Blando said, “but as Yudof mentions in his communications, 70 percent of the UC budget is related to employees, and any effort to meet budget reductions will touch staff in some form or another.

“We will continue to ask for input from staff directly using these surveys to provide the most complete perspective to the campus leadership.”

Blando said the Staff Assembly Executive Committee decided on its own to put together the furlough survey, in response to many calls and e-mails from employees, and conversations with them — all expressing concern about the possibility of being ordered to take unpaid time off.

“This is unfamiliar territory for us,” Blando said. “We may not be able to say if furloughs happen or not, but maybe we can help advise the administration on what’s the best way to do this.”

Staff Assembly advised that all responses would be anonymous. And, though Staff Assembly announced a deadline of April 11, Blando said people are welcome to complete the survey through April 17 — and all the responses that came in this week will also be turned over to the administration.

The survey’s introduction states: “While there are many arguments as to why we should or should not implement a furlough, this survey is simply intended to help campus administrators on the most effective method to implement furloughs that minimizes the impact to staff.”

Furlough timing

For example, the first question asks whether the timing of furloughs should be consistent throughout the UC system, or if UC Davis should decide for itself on the implementation.

Blando said some employees have suggested that all UCs should take the same furlough days. “A lot of business is transacted between campuses,” Blando said, “and if one campus is open, and another is closed, that business cannot get done.”

The survey asks employees to state their preferences for when furloughs should be taken:

• All in one month (say, August or December)

• Throughout the year (say, the last Friday of every month)

• By individual choice, with departmental approval

• A combination of the first three options

• Other (with an invitation to “please describe”)

The survey notes that the first two options would result in campus shutdowns; a follow-up question asks: “Should some positions be exempt from furloughs or be exempt from a campuswide shutdown?”

Blando said the survey report will be in two parts: numerical data, based on checkmarks in survey boxes; and comments, in summary form.

Staff Assembly announced the survey on April 8 in a special edition of Staff Voice, declaring: “The global economic decline is not unlike a natural disaster which has profound impacts on the lives of many. While we continue to hope that furloughs can be avoided, we still need to prepare for such an eventuality, as with any natural disaster.”

Yudof’s April 7 memo acknowledges that “the university’s greatest asset — its human capital — comprises a significant amount of its budget.” He noted that more than 70 percent of UC’s core budget is devoted to faculty and employee salary and benefits.

“The state of California has implemented furloughs for state employees; we have not thus far. But particularly with the new projections of state budget shortfalls, I believe we need to begin planning for the possibility of employee furloughs and-or temporary and permanent salary reductions as an additional element of the university’s response to the state budget contraction,” Yudof wrote.

Yudof and others from the Office of the President said much the same thing in March when they briefed the Board of Regents on possible cost-saving measures, including furloughs and pay cuts.

In his April 7 update, Yudof said he had asked Katherine N. Lapp, executive vice president for Business Operations, and Lawrence Pitts, interim provost and executive vice chancellor, to work with Human Resources, the General Counsel and the Academic Senate to develop a contingency plan for furloughs and pay cuts.

“My goal is to produce for consideration by the regents in May a flexible regental standing order that would serve as a broad legal framework to allow for both systemwide and campus-by-campus furloughs and salary reductions, should deteriorating financial conditions so require,” Yudof said.

Flexibility for each campus

“In my view, such an order should include two critical components,” Yudof said. “First, a delineation of roles and responsibilities of the regents, chancellors, the president and the divisional Academic Senates in determining whether to impose furloughs and salary reductions; and second, flexibility for each campus to implement these actions in ways appropriate to their unique circumstances, including the need to maintain clinical health enterprise operations, ensure public safety, and honor existing union contracts and government regulations.”

Yudof concluded: “Only when we have in place these decision-making processes and implicit recognition of the need for campus autonomy should we move forward with the actions necessary to respond to our changing fiscal situation.”

UC Davis budget news: budgetnews.ucdavis.edu