Staff Editorial: Furloughs, layoffs are common enemies to all Eastern employees
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Opinions
or some, it may be easier navigating a hedge maze than the tricky twists and turns of Eastern's current, yet ever-changing, furlough policy.
President Bill Perry recently made several changes to the language and stipulations of the policy, but many aspects remain uncertain.
As reported in an article that appeared in Wednesday's edition of The Daily Eastern News, one of the main areas of disagreement is between the faculty's acceptance of furloughs and the preference of civil service employees to use layoffs.
But said acceptance does not mean anyone would prefer to see either.
Basically, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 981 Clerical/Technical Chapter is the only union on campus that currently has furlough language in its contract. And regardless of the language, should the university have to enforce furloughs, Eastern administrators would first have to sit down with the chapter and negotiate the terms of furloughs before anything could go further.
However, the Building Service Workers/Food Service chapter of AFSCME has no such language and will not even negotiate furloughs until the chapter's contract expires at Eastern in 2011.
"There are some people within the bargaining process that feel furloughs are the best way to go, but I think the majority of them think letting the civil service system, layoffs and letting seniority decide, is important," Matt Pederson, president of the AFCME said in the article.
The difference between a furlough and layoff is that a furlough would require a set amount of time off for employees of the university, regardless of position, seniority or area where they work, whereas a layoff is, basically, termination of employment based on seniority for a period of time with an understanding that employment will be reinstated once finances allow.
As for the University Professionals of Illinois, the faculty union, layoffs are almost out of the question.
"There are two big 'cons' to layoffs; first, people lose jobs in a horrible market and second, they could seriously impact the university's ability to offer courses, depending on how they were done," said history professor Jonathan Coit in the same article.
President Bill Perry recently made several changes to the language and stipulations of the policy, but many aspects remain uncertain.
As reported in an article that appeared in Wednesday's edition of The Daily Eastern News, one of the main areas of disagreement is between the faculty's acceptance of furloughs and the preference of civil service employees to use layoffs.
But said acceptance does not mean anyone would prefer to see either.
Basically, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 981 Clerical/Technical Chapter is the only union on campus that currently has furlough language in its contract. And regardless of the language, should the university have to enforce furloughs, Eastern administrators would first have to sit down with the chapter and negotiate the terms of furloughs before anything could go further.
However, the Building Service Workers/Food Service chapter of AFSCME has no such language and will not even negotiate furloughs until the chapter's contract expires at Eastern in 2011.
"There are some people within the bargaining process that feel furloughs are the best way to go, but I think the majority of them think letting the civil service system, layoffs and letting seniority decide, is important," Matt Pederson, president of the AFCME said in the article.
The difference between a furlough and layoff is that a furlough would require a set amount of time off for employees of the university, regardless of position, seniority or area where they work, whereas a layoff is, basically, termination of employment based on seniority for a period of time with an understanding that employment will be reinstated once finances allow.
As for the University Professionals of Illinois, the faculty union, layoffs are almost out of the question.
"There are two big 'cons' to layoffs; first, people lose jobs in a horrible market and second, they could seriously impact the university's ability to offer courses, depending on how they were done," said history professor Jonathan Coit in the same article.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
A. Professor
posted 2/04/10 @ 9:25 AM CST
Furlough is just a code word for salary reduction, plain and simple. Once initiated, they become institutionalized.
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