September 2022 Staff Council Newsletter

Officers’ Reports President Ronnie Houchin Ronnie would like to take a moment to acknowledge the staff and everyone that prepared the campus this fall. The onboarding and communication committee is close to finishing its work. The staff hired in the last 5 years were able to complete a survey, they are reviewing that data and will put forth recommendations to VC Queen. That could include an onboarding manager, and additional tools for supervisors.  The Executive Board will host a retreat this month and set some goals for this year, focusing on short staffed areas and concerns. They hope to continue to improve communication with the system and HR. The Staff Alliance shared the compensation memo. The recommendations were submitted to President Pitney and its receipt has been acknowledged. We now await her response. Top recommendations this year include:   - Implement an across-the-board 4% increase for all staff   - Increase the percent of the health plan costs borne by the University   - Increase flexibility in performance bonuses Vice President Kari Mellmer Kari states she recently attended the staff alliance retreat in Juneau and was able to attend the Board of Regents meeting. It was a great opportunity and she was able to meet some of the legislative representatives.

September Meeting Highlights and Announcements   System Office Mission Statement - Staff Council approved the following new, proposed System Office Mission Statement. It will be on the November Board of Regents agenda for approval. Staff Development Funds - There will again be staff development funds available for spring 2023 course fees, as well as conference registrations and professional association memberships, possibly extending the LinkedIn Learning licenses.  UAF Staff Council Guidelines developed by MRE committee. We will carry this over to the October agenda. Please review the guidelines and let us know if you have any feedback.  Staff Council Elections - Staff Council will be holding elections in October for odd-numbered units and at-large seats. By voicing staff concerns and needs to leadership, Staff Council plays a vital role in the shared governance of our university. Nominate yourself or a colleague for a two-year term by September 27, 2022. Ballots will be shared in October.

 

Chancellor White

Thank you to Stacey for the comments and the work that is being done to promote wellness and mental health. Thank you to Ronnie, Margo and Casey for the Implicit Bias Training opportunity. Thank you to those serving on staff council and participating in our shared governance. The Chancellor would like to remind us to have respect, diversity, inclusion and caring. As the budget got tight and the UNAC contract is unresolved there has been more tension and less caring communication. Pay attention and make sure we are caring for each other and building a constructive work environment. 

Good news is on the horizon for the budget. President Pitney debuted her first look at the budget and the board supports the current items at this point. The president may have presented more than what she will ask for in November. It included increases for both faculty and staff, critical programs, faculty hires, virtual compliance, and enrollment support. The president will be communicating with the governor's staff on what budget they will accept. You can find more detail on the budget here: https://www.alaska.edu/news/system/sept-2022-bor-meeting-overview.php

The Board of Regents discussed dual enrollment and the positive things coming out of the North Star Middle College and the Alaska Advantage program enrolling students while they are still in high school. This allows students to pursue higher education and bodes well for UAF as well. 

Human Resources

Ongoing Review of Salaries and the PD Approval Process - Paula Kennedy, senior compensation specialist, and Jamie Meyer, classification and compensation specialist, with statewide HR attended the September meeting. UA HR is developing a new compensation calculator tool for supervisors that incorporates market data as well as an applicant's experience and education. Staff Council requested that the source of market compensation data be made available, as well as the current list of peer institutions. (The current list of peer institutions was provided after the meeting and is attached.) Statewide is also beginning a job family review. They started with Risk Management and Student Services, are currently doing Safety Services, and next on the list is OIT.

New FML Vendor- UA has contracted with a new vendor, Unum, to manage Family Medical Leave (FML). This change was announced unexpectedly and without prior notice from UA HR, so there were several questions about its implementation. Heather Arana, UA HR, attended the meeting in response.

 - Why the change? UA contracted with Unum due to now having employees in over 40 states. FML laws are different in every state, and HR couldn’t effectively meet employee needs in house without hiring several more employees.

 - What about employee privacy? "There have been some questions about employee privacy when using this third-party vendor. I want you to know that this is a concern we took very seriously when selecting a vendor, and no personal employee data is used by Unum for commercial purposes.  As well as administering FML, Unum is our vendor for long-term disability, a service we have offered for many years. They also administer our ADA cases. Employee data is shared within the Unum corporate structure and is not shared outside their company or used in any way other than to administer the products UA utilizes (FML, LTD, and ADA) which is codified in Unum’s service delivery contract with UA. The contract between UA and Unum controls the collection of employee’s personal information. Our contract does not permit Unum to use any employer data (which includes information collected about employees) for any purpose other than performing the services obtained under the contract.

Unum is an insurance company in a highly-regulated industry and is contractually obligated to abide by all federal and state privacy laws and regulations. They use only non-identifiable information for reporting to the Department of Labor and other state agencies. Notably, the reports do not provide the names of employees or the University as their employer." - H. Arana, UA HR

  - Why am I being asked for more detail than in the past? There are concerns about the amount of information asked of employees by Unum, down to the details of what time medical appointments are and what symptoms people are experiencing, which is different than in the past. UA HR stated that an FML application and medical certification are the minimum requirements.