This doesn’t impact faculty (because of different contract issues and work rules), but it strikes me as kind of odd nonetheless: Geoff Larcom sent around an email message on behalf of Human Resources today with the subject line “Energy Savings Days.” Here are the first two paragraphs:
We are pleased to announce that as part of our campaign to contain costs and conserve energy, Eastern Michigan University is implementing another Energy Savings Days Program. This year, the University will be closed for business on Wednesday, November 25, and Wednesday, December 23, 2009. However, some offices critical to the operation of the University will remain open despite these closures.
All University employees normally scheduled to work on these days will use four hours of vacation or sick/personal time for each eight-hour day. EMU will cover the second half of the scheduled work hours with paid release time. If an employee’s vacation or sick/personal time is exhausted, the employee’s future accrual of vacation time will be borrowed against. Employees who are required to work on these days will receive regular pay for a normal work day and will be credited with paid release time generated at one hour for each hour worked up to a maximum of four hours of release time for each eight (8) hour day.
Now, I don’t know what to make of this. On the one hand, a pretty compelling argument could be made that EMU should be closed on these days since no one is going to be around, no business is going to get done, etc. So in that sense, it isn’t so much a furlough for hourly employees as much as it is a day when the place just isn’t open. But charging it again sick time or vacation time seems a little weird to me.
Is this a normal practice? Is this about “energy savings” or is it about “payroll savings?”
Sitedad: as Faculty would you all even be here this day? As far as I know these days mostly impact the bargaining unit members on campus like me. Since this isn’t part of the mutually agreed upon contract all of the unions took it to the memberships and we all overwhelmingly voted to support these ‘energy savings’ days. We give up 4 hours of sick or vacation time and get 4 hours of paid leave in return. Its a win-win situation for the staff and the university. It is my understanding the savings on just utility costs alone is in the thousands of dollars to shut down an extra two days over extended breaks. BTW– We did it last year and it worked out well for everyone!
Hey, if everybody is happy about it, then that’s fine. It just seems like kind of a weird deal to me.
Personally, I think the university ought to just be closed on those days. And while we’re at it, since it would save a lot of money in energy costs and such (potentially, at least), why not close up on Fridays? Or if not close up entirely, treat it too as part of the weekend?
I’m all for Energy Days. The buildings are usually dead on those days, so it allows people who actually stick to the CS work schedule (M-F 8-5) to have a break.
I think one of the biggest issues some people had were that the CS union did not bring this issue to its constituents. The PT union had the right to discuss it, but the CS union just agreed, without any notification to its members. A simple email with a heads-up on the possibility that is was going to happen again this year would have been appreciated by many. But that’s just the way the CS union rolls…
Yeah the unions were asking about these days as far back as March… we just hard about them about a week ago. Last year the PT union (in violation of our own by-laws) did a quick email referendum to see if we would support them. This year we held a special meeting with a special vote. That’s how UAW-1976 rolls!