Category Archives: Staff Life

More on eligibility auditing

Posted on June 21, 2011 by | 3 Comments

I received an email from a loyal EMUTalk.org reader and someone who “should know better” about union issues the other day– the person seems a bit publicity shy, so let me just leave it at that– and as unpleasant as this whole Buck Consultants eligibility audit is, there’s not a whole lot the unions and employees can do about it.  This person told me that when this first came up, the union(s) ran it by the lawyers and the legal opinion was that the administration was well within its rights to ask for this information.  And, as far as person knows, this is the first time the administration has done any kind of audit like this.

The upshot is the unions don’t see a reason to fight something that the administration has the right to do.  Non-compliance as a protest is a way to potentially get your insurance cut off.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with verifying the information that I gave to EMU a dozen or so years ago, though I am not that crazy about sending any information that’s too sensitive to a third party via some sort of Internet or mail kind of thing.  I’m not that worried about identity theft, but I don’t see any reason to unnecessarily increase my risk.  I’d rather go by the HR office in person with the documents.

The major issue here for me is spending a lot of money to an external consultant to perform what seems to me like a pretty straight-forward headcount.  The union person told me that they were researching the costs of the contract to Buck right now, and I’ll be curious to find out how much we’re paying someone to do the HR office’s job.

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Posted in Administrator Life, Faculty Life, Staff Life

“Dependent eligibility verification” consultants

Posted on June 18, 2011 by | 17 Comments

I received an email the other day about “dependent eligibility verification;” here’s most of what it said:

As part of our ongoing effort to control health care costs, EMU is taking steps to ensure that only eligible dependents are covered under our medical plans. To accomplish this, we have retained the services of Buck Consultants, an independent firm with offices throughout the United States and Europe, to conduct a dependent eligibility verification. This program is intended to ensure that each dependent enrolled in our medical plans is accurately listed and eligible for coverage.

In order to ensure that dependents enrolled in the EMU plans meet the eligibility guidelines, Buck Consultants has been authorized to obtain documentation regarding your enrolled dependents. Protecting your personal information is a priority to EMU and Buck Consultants. All documents provided during the dependent verification program are securely stored and protected through physical, electronic and procedural safeguards. A postcard will be sent to your home shortly — it is a simple communication notifying you of the upcoming verification.  Shortly after the postcard, an initial verification packet will be mailed to your home.  The initial packet will be very detailed identifying all aspects of the verification, including instructions, frequently asked questions, an EMU-dedicated toll-free telephone number to answer any questions you may have, as well as the due date for your documentation.

Hmm, okay.  I guess I have a series of questions about this:

  • Since I have been an employee at EMU for 14 years now, wouldn’t they already have all of this information about me?  And isn’t this the kind of information that is routinely collected when EMU hires someone new, sort of at the same meeting where you fill out your tax paperwork and the paperwork about citizenship and the like?
  • Why would you hire a consultant to do this?  Isn’t collecting this basic information kind of the fundamental job of the dozen or more people who work in HR?  Isn’t hiring a consulting firm to do this work for you sort of like me as an professor hiring a consultant to teach my classes or to read and grade the essays I assign?
  • Don’t you usually hire a consultant to do some kind of “dirty work” you don’t want to do– say, for example, do a study about how you can’t afford a set of benefits to your employers, which appears to be part of the business of Buck Consultants?  And how much are we paying these people, anyway?

 

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Posted in Administrator Life, Faculty Life, In the media..., Professional-Technical, Staff Life

EMU All Union Council issues press release on cuts

Posted on June 12, 2011 by | 28 Comments

This isn’t really that new in that it came out a few days ago (it got kinda lost in my inbox) and it doesn’t report anything that hasn’t already been said, but I thought I’d share it anyway (after the continue reading part).  Someone told me that the union leaders suggested point-blank to EMU President Susan Martin some cuts to athletics, and that was shot down.  I don’t know if that’s actually right though because it’s not included in this press release.

Anyway, read on for the whole thing.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Administrator Life, Budgets, EMU President, EMU-AAUP, Professional-Technical, Staff Life

Martin’s budget update, “givebacks,” tuition, and athletics

Posted on May 31, 2011 by | 35 Comments

Everyone at EMU received an email from President Susan Martin about the various budget problems.  I include the entire email after the “continued reading” part, but before I get to that, I thought I’d mention three things:

  • I am sure I will be called a “greedy faculty” person for saying this, but I frankly am not particularly interested in giving back any of the modest pay increases that were negotiated in the last contract.  Among other things, a) that contract was in and of itself a significant concession because of difficult budgetary times, b) the increase barely (or perhaps doesn’t for some faculty) cover the increase fees for health insurance, and c) faculty at EMU are generally underpaid as it is.
  • As I have mentioned here many many times before, I think the 0/0/0% was a bad idea, and, as was predicted in this July 2010 article we discussed last year, it is coming back to bite us.  Had we modestly raised tuition and fees last year– say, two or three or four percent– I assume we would have been better prepared for this cut this year.  It would certainly be a heck of a lot easier to pass along a 7% increase.  I am not saying we should increase tuition willy-nilly, and I would agree with the general sentiment that college costs too much as it is.  But the rise in tuition at public universities is directly proportional to the decreases in state funding for higher education of the last 20 or so years, and there is no obvious connection between cost of attendance at a university and enrollment.  None.  Nada.
  • Personally, I would be willing to give up my modest pay raise next year if the administration can provide evidence of an equal dollar value cut to athletics.  If EMU athletics can find a way to cut $3.2 million from their budget– which is what Martin says the university would save if all faculty and staff passed on the contractually negotiated increases in pay for next year– then I’m all for it.  Heck, I’d even split the difference: that is, if Derrick “the payback is that you win” Gragg can come up with $1.6 million in cuts, I am sure that faculty would be willing to forfeit half their pay increases.  But given that Martin mentions absolutely nothing about athletics in her letter, I’m pretty confident that athletics will get to keep the “investment” in winning they are getting for this year.

Oh, and to top it all off– EMU has messed up my spring paycheck.  Jeesh.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Administrator Life, Budgets, EMU-AAUP, Faculty Life, Staff Life, Student Life

Administration asking for unions to give money back during a “fluid” situation

Posted on May 30, 2011 by | 25 Comments

A loyal EMUTalk.org reader sent me the following email from Bill Heilman, President of the UAW 1976 (which represents the “professional-technical” staff on campus) to its members about a meeting with EMU President Susan Martin and some other suits.  The upshot is the administration wants the union to give up the 1.5% raise they negotiated or to face about 50 layoffs in a “fluid” and changing budget situation.  Here it is:

Brothers and Sisters,

I had a meeting with President Martin this morning, along with James Gallaher, and David Trakul from HR. The meeting was called by the presidents’ office to discuss budget issues. President Martin asked us, to forfeit our 1.5% raise due to us July 1 of this year. There would be no relief granted in the area of health care increases. President Martin was reminded that the negotiated increase was to offset the raise in healthcare contributions and to save our membership from incurring a decrease in pay resulting in the higher premium contribution.  It was also explained to the president that we had already chosen to sacrifice by attaching a portion of our raises to the success of the university, and that however close we had come to the goals of that agreement, we are most likely not going to achieve the necessary increases in enrollment that would grant us those contingency raises.

We asked for information regarding the layoff scenario, and all that we were told was that if all the bargaining units would not agree to forfeit the increases they negotiated in July, that 50 jobs on campus would be affected. No further detail on what units those jobs belonged in was offered, and upon questioning, we were told that the situation remained “fluid” and that no final decisions had been made yet. We were also told that the plan is a “work in progress” and that it was changing day by day. Because of this they were unable to offer any other insight into their thinking and what areas of the university would be affected. They did offer to keep us updated as details of the cuts become firmer, but did not want our unit to wait to have the discussion about forfeiting the raises.

Please keep an eye out for an email announcing an informational meeting to be held on this topic. I plan on having a discussion with the Election committee to hold a vote on this matter to decide whether we want to entertain not having a raise in July and bearing the burden of the negotiated increase in health care, in as quick a manner as is feasible with the committee’s help.

In Solidarity
Bill Heilman
President
UAW Local 1976

 

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Posted in Administrator Life, Professional-Technical, Staff Life

Michigan House budget penalizes domestic partner benefits

Posted on May 7, 2011 by | 5 Comments

A loyal EMUTalk.org reader sent me this link to annarbor.com the other day:  “House-approved education budget adds 5 percent cut to Michigan universities that offer domestic partner benefits.” Interestingly, the lead in the article doesn’t mention EMU.  Typical.

Shortly after receiving that email, all EMU Employees received an email from Leigh Greden, our man in Lansing.  Here’s what he said:

The State House of Representative narrowly approved the education budget yesterday. Here are the key provisions:

BUDGET: Higher ed funding for all universities was cut across-the-board by 20%, which equals a $15.025 million cut to EMU. Universities can “earn” back 5% of their appropriation — or $3.8 million for EMU – if they do the following two things:

1. limit tuition/fee increases for the 2011-2012 academic year to 7%; AND

2. certify by 12/1/11 that they do NOT offer health insurance or other benefits to another “adult co-resident of the employee (covered under the university’s benefit plan) who is not married to that employee.”  This amendment was added by Republican legislators at the last minute on Thursday, and is intended to eliminate benefit plans offered by  universities to same-sex partners of university employees, even though these benefit plans also cover opposite-sex partners (e.g., a live-in fiance).

REPORTING LANGUAGE: Universities that offer graduate counseling programs — such as EMU – would be required to report on their efforts to accommodate the religious beliefs of their students.  Universities must submit similar reports regarding their stem cell research.

COMMITTEES: Committees would be established to develop plans to increase transfer (and reverse transfer) credits to/from community colleges.

NEXT STEPS: The House bill has numerous differences from the Senate bill, including the fact that the House bill also funds community colleges and K-12. It’s unclear how the conference committee process will evolve, but some agreement must be reached between the House and Senate before the bill goes to Gov. Snyder.

It sounds like this is a far from done deal, and even if this did pass both houses, I have a feeling the court challenges would go up immediately.

But once again, if I was in charge, this is another reason to raise tuition and fees 12%-15%, and I think this legislation could actually make that good PR.  Think about it:  Martin and the Board of Regents could say something like “we’re really sorry about this, but we don’t like the threat from the State regarding earn/give backs in funding (and we also have reason to believe they will not honor that commitment), and we have a moral and ethical obligation to offer benefits to domestic partners of our employees.  We’re a family here at EMU, and we owe it to our students to set a positive example in standing by what we think is right.”

Now, I seriously doubt that will happen.  There will be a 7% tuition hike and we’ll be trying to beg back that 5%, and if the Snyder administration passes legislation that all faculty have to dress like clowns, the suits will buy us floppy shoes.

 

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Posted in Administrator Life, Board of Regents, Budgets, In the media..., Staff Life

“State of the State and ‘the new normal’”

Posted on January 23, 2011 by | Leave a comment

I’ve been a little busy with that pesky “day job” of mine, so I’m late in posting this email that EMU President Susan Martin sent around to everyone on campus on Thursday.  Her subject line was “State of the State and ‘the new normal,’” but it might as well have been “buck up, little solider,” because it was essentially a cheerleading/let’s think positive kind of message (I include it all after the jump).

Besides all the things that we’ve got going for us that Martin outlines in her email (and for the most part, I agree with her), I also think there are two other potential plusses.  First, almost every university in the state and the country is hurting and is going to raise tuition next year, and everyone is going to raise it a lot.  Second, a 10-15% tuition and fees increase after a year of 0/0/0% might not seem so unreasonable.  Not that Martin is proposing a tuition increase, mind you– I just can’t imagine how EMU doesn’t raise tuition next year.

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Posted in Administrator Life, Budgets, EMU President, Faculty Life, Staff Life, Student Life

“Here’s Your Diploma. Now Here’s Your Mop”

Posted on October 19, 2010 by | 1 Comment

This is kind of a strange article in the current Chronicle of Higher Education:  “Here’s Your Diploma. Now Here’s Your Mop” is an interview with a recent EMU graduate about what the CHE (apparently) thinks of as an unusual job.  It’s behind the CHE firewall (this link will prompt you to use EMU credentials to log in), but here are the opening paragraphs:

Eastern Michigan University gave Sam Fanning a degree in network and information-technology administration last December. A month later, after he couldn’t find work, it gave him a job as a custodian in the student center.

Mr. Fanning feels fortunate to be working in a unionized job with benefits. As he toils to make monthly $500 payments on his student loan, he is able to chuckle about his situation. But it isn’t the future he envisioned for himself.

I dunno, I find this piece a little odd.  I’m not sure if CHE is giving Fanning a hard time here because he’s a janitor, an EMU grad, both, or neither:  that is, here’s a guy with a college degree and the best he can do is a job he could have gotten with no degree.  Maybe I’m just reading too much into it.

Having said that, it seems to me that Fanning’s situation could be a lot worse.  He’s making $13 plus good union benefits, which isn’t horrible compensation for a job right out of college, and I can speak from personal experience that being a janitor isn’t the worse job in the world either.  I was a janitor for a summer at the University of Iowa Hospital when I was an undergraduate, and while there was a lot of toilets and other “shit” (metaphorically and literally), it was pretty easy work.  Not exactly the kind of thing you took home with you, either.

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Posted in Buildings and Grounds, In the media..., Staff Life, Student Life

“The Beatings WIll Continue Until Morale Improves”

Posted on October 10, 2010 by | 6 Comments

The following was sent to me for posting by aginghippie, who is someone I assume many already know in real life.  He is an EMUTalk.org regular and supporter, and a member of UAW 1976.  If you have an article/view/whatever you want to see posted on EMUTalk.org, let me know.  –sitedad.

I thought I’d give people a chance to test their knowledge about the recent PT contract negotiations. The answer bank below is taken from an EMU press release dated June 10, 2010.

EMU’s bargaining team for the PT contract negotiations includes: Douglas Bunce, human resources; Aida Beard, custodial services; Cynthia Van Pelt, financial Aid; Elaine Logan, University librarian; Jason Broge, University budget; Rocky Jenkins, information technology; and David Trakul, employee relations and policy.

1.  Who is the EMU Financial Aid Director who forced her employees to conduct university work during what is contractually defined as a “duty-free lunch period”?

2.  Who is the Human Resources Consultant who said that FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) stood for Friday Monday Leave Act during a union grievance meeting?

3.  Who is the Director of Employee Relations & Policy who deliberately and grossly misrepresented UAW 1976 positions when making phone reports?

4.  Who is the EMU Financial Aid Director who is married to a member of UAW  1976?

5.  Who is the Human Resources Consultant who said that the members of UAW 1976 were nothing but chair warmers?

6.  Name 4 members of the administration’s bargaining team that did and said nothing immediately after the crack about chair warmers was made?

7.  Name 5 members of the administration’s bargaining team who could have defused the situation created by the crack about chair warmers by issuing some kind of “heat of the moment but out of line” apology but instead did nothing?

As I said, it is the union’s position that the “chair warmers” crack is the  administration’s official evaluation/opinion/attitude.  The silence has been very telling on this.

We also have the “conduct code” in this TA–language stating that people will act respectfully and civilly I do believe.  Now that the level of civility and respect has been shown with the “chair warmer” crack, I will  (and I’m sure others in the PT Chair Warmers Union will also) be happy to respond to EMU’s Fascist Oppressors of the Proletariat Management Swine strand at that same level of civility and respect that was demonstrated to our team.

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Posted in Administrator Life, Professional-Technical, Staff Life

So, any reports from this afternoon’s panel discussion about the Echo’s KKK cartoon?

Posted on October 7, 2010 by | 3 Comments

I didn’t make it to today’s panel discussion mainly because I have a “day job” and a lot of grading and meeting with students associated with said job this week.  Can’t just take an afternoon off to attend a panel discussion kind of at the drop of a hat.

But I heard that it was surprisingly well attended, went far past the hour that was scheduled for it, was quite lively, etc.  I am quite certain that some EMUTalk.org regulars were there, so inquiring minds what to know:  how was it?  Anyone want to share a report or reaction, either as a comment or as something else?  I’m happy to post something from an “informed source” anonymously too.

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Posted in Administrator Life, Faculty Life, In the media..., Staff Life, Student Life