UC Proposes New Staff and Academic Reduction in Time (START) Program
The University of California is asking the campus community to review a temporary, voluntary time reduction personnel program to achieve salary savings during what is expected to be a difficult budget year.
The Governor's May budget revise is expected to be issued on Wednesday afternoon, the same day as the UC Board of Regents will discuss the state budget at its meeting at UCLA.
The Regents also are expected to discuss the proposal to implement a new Staff and Academic Reduction in Time (START) Program, which gives employees the option of reducing their hours a minimum of 10 percent to a maximum of 50 percent.
The program is similar to one offered by the University to employees from 2003 to 2006 which saved $14.9 million in that time period.
Implementation of START, which would amend the University of California Retirement Plan (UCRP), is subject to approval by the Regents. Regental approval is required to ensure that participation in the program will not reduce an employee's accrual in the UCRP service credit or the amount of pay used to determine UCRP benefits.
Under the proposed START Program, temporary salary savings would be achieved through a voluntary reduction in time and corresponding pay. The program is a tool that departments may make available, at their discretion, to employees during the period July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2010.
Campus staff may provide comments on the proposal to Mark Gottas. Comments should be provided by Friday, May 30, 2008.
All full- and part-time, non-probationary career or "regular status" staff employees and academic appointees, except those with faculty and student academic titles and postdoctoral scholars, would be eligible to volunteer to reduce their time. In all cases, participation would be dependent upon the approval of the department head.
Participation in the START Program for represented employees is dependent upon agreement by the applicable union.
Program Parameters
- • Participants would volunteer to reduce
their time from a minimum of 10 percent to a maximum of 50 percent of fulltime.
However, an employee's work schedule cannot be reduced below 50 percent time
in any month of participation in START.
- • In return for a voluntary reduction
in time, participants would:
- ° Accrue, on a month-by-month basis,
vacation and sick leave credits at the rate accrued prior to the commencement
of START;
- ° Accrue, on a month-by-month basis,
UCRP service credit for each month of START participation at the rate accrued
prior to commencement of the program, provided that the employee is on pay
status for at least 50 percent time. Employees should note that service
credit during participation in START would be reduced by a leave without
pay or other periods of time-off pay status not reflected in the START contract;
and
- ° Not have their UC health and welfare,
retirement, disability or survivor benefits affected by START.
- • Participants could volunteer to reduce
their time for a minimum of one month to a maximum of 24 months. A written
START contract signed by both the department head and the employee would specify
the participant's percentage of time and the beginning and end dates of the
contract.
- • An eligible employee could participate
in START more than one time, as long as participation ends by June 30, 2010.
- • The time reduction under a START contract
could be changed by mutual agreement of the employee and the department head
and with 30 days' advance notice.
- • Participation in START could be ended by the employee or the department head with 30 days' advance notice.