Concerning Reductions in Force as A Consequence of Budget Reductions at UNC-Chapel Hill
Resolution of the Employee Forum
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
May 8th, 2009
1. WHEREAS, the Mission of the Employee Forum is to constructively address the concerns of the Employees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including the presentation of staff concerns to University officials, University General Administration, and the citizenry of North Carolina; and
2. WHEREAS, the Employee Forum is bound by its by-laws to advise the chancellor on all issues and concerns that affect employees; and
3. WHEREAS, the morale and well-being of all staff, and any adverse effect on their efficiency, effectiveness, and morale are of the highest priority and concern of the Employee Forum; and
4. WHEREAS, the current budget situation has already placed a number of employees in a position of jeopardy through the premature implementation of the university’s Reduction in Force policy; and
5. WHEREAS, employee morale is severely and negatively affected by any reduction in force, a process far more traumatic to employees when implemented in a less-than-transparent manner, and which greatly affects the productivity of all employees; and
6. WHEREAS, employees are better able to reconcile the loss of a fellow employee when they have greater access to the process and rationale used for layoffs; and
7. WHEREAS, transparency and openness have been the hallmark of the current administration, supporting the idea that it is acting in a spirit of fairness; THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Employee Forum of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill formally requests the Chancellor to charge the Human Relations Employee and Management Relations department with the authority and the directive to investigate all reductions in force to ensure that each “reduction” is in the best interests of the University and the employee concerned, and that each “reduction” is implemented in a fair, equitable, and just manner; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chancellor request that each department issue an open and detailed cost-savings analysis prior to any reductions in force to show that all other cost-cutting measures have been implemented prior to said reduction in force, and to facilitate the campus community reconciling the absolute financial need for the loss of their fellow employees.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chancellor request that department heads hold a meeting with their remaining staff to explain why and how the employees were chosen for a RIF; what the implications are for the rest of the employees; and what their vision is for the future of the department.
Signed on behalf of the Employee Forum
Tommy Griffin, Chair