Academic Personnel & HRIS
- What is a furlough day?
- How long is the Furlough Program?
- Which employees are covered by the furlough program?
- How many furlough days will employees be required to take?
- How will the furlough program affect employees on a compressed work schedule such as 4/10?
- How will the furlough program affect intermittent employees with hourly pay?
- Who are the non-represented employees in excluded classifications?
- Casual Worker
- Early Childhood Master Teacher series
- Helper/Aid
- Instructional Faculty, Extension Non-Credit
- Police Officer Cadet
- Research Fellow
- Resident Assistant
- Special Consultant
- SFSU Head Start Program Specialist
- How will the furlough program affect these non-represented employees?
- How will the furlough program affect student employees?
- How much pay will be deducted from my pay check each month during furloughs?
- What if a scheduled vacation falls on a furlough day?
- Can I choose to work on a furlough day?
- Can overtime or CTO be used to cover work not performed as a result of furloughs?
- What happens to an exempt employee’s status when he/she takes a furlough day?
- Non-exempt employees are entitled to overtime pay and California Wage & Hour rules.
- MPP administrators and supervisors must be cognizant of hours worked for non-exempt employees.
- Any time worked must be compensated, and any hours worked in excess of 40 in the furlough work week must be paid overtime at 1.5 times regular hourly base rate;
- It is the University’s intent not to authorize overtime in a week in which a furlough day is used; duties and work responsibilities may need to be re-prioritized during this time period.
- Will student assistants and managers work more hours to make up for employees observing furlough days?
- How will workload be managed with the reduced number of work days?
- How will my pay be affected during the furlough period?
- How will the furlough program impact Social Security?
- Who will ensure that the appropriate furlough time is taken?
- Will benefits for employees or their dependents be affected in any way by the furlough program?
- May I change health plans in order to reduce my monthly deductions?
- May I make changes to my deductions on my 401(k)/457 plans?
- Can I change the amount deducted for my 403 (b) plan?
- How does the furlough program affect CalPERS service credit for retirement?
- Will the furloughs affect maximum vacation allowances?
- If I am using unpaid leave (Leave without Pay), how will this process impact me?
- Where can employees turn to for assistance in managing their finances?
- Will the University offer workshops for employees impacted by the furloughs?
- What if I have a question that isn't answered above?
A furlough day is a day on which an employee is normally scheduled to work, or is in pay status, that is taken as an unpaid day off.
The furlough program will be in effect from July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010 and is being implemented effective August 1, 2009.
MPP employees, confidential employees, non-represented, CSUEU, UAPD and APC represented employees, with the exception of sworn officers, public safety dispatchers and employees on a leave of absence without pay, military leave or disability leave are covered by this program and employees in positions directly funded by grants.
12-month employees will take 24 furlough days; 11-month employees will take 22 furlough days; 10-month employees will take 20 furlough days. Part-time employees will be subject to furloughs on a pro-rated basis. Example: a half-time employee will have their paid hours reduced by 8 hours per pay period.
Employees on compressed work schedules such as 4/10 should be converted to a 5/8 work schedule during any week that includes a furlough day.
Intermittent employees are paid on an hourly basis. They will not have their pay reduced automatically through the State Controller’s Office. Administrators are responsible for reducing the number of hours worked in proportion to the hours the employee worked in the prior fiscal year.
Excluded classifications are those positions not covered by collective bargaining agreements, the Management Personnel Plan, or policies and procedures for confidential employees. Excluded classifications used on this campus are:
Non-represented employees in "excluded classifications" will not have their pay reduced automatically through the State Controller’s Office. Administrators are responsible for reducing their hours on a pro-rated basis in comparison with the hours worked in the prior fiscal year.
Non-represented student employees are not subject to the furlough program, but opportunities for work may be decreased on university-designated furlough days.
The effect of the furloughs over a full year is a wage/salary reduction of 9.23%. The monthly pay reductions of 10.07% shall be spread evenly over the 11-month furlough period. Deductions will be taken automatically by the State Controller’s Office and will be reflected in the September 1 pay warrant for the August 2009 pay period. You may estimate your net pay by downloading the State Controller’s Paycheck Calculator. Instructions and the link are available at: http://www.sfsu.edu/~hrwww/econ_times/et_budget.html
The day will be designated as a furlough day in lieu of vacation. Employees may not substitute vacation for furlough days. Employees are encouraged to take the next available day or as directed by their administrator.
Setting Workload Expectations
No. Work is to be performed only when an individual is assigned to work. Work, no matter where it occurs (on or off campus), will need to be compensated. Working on a furlough day is in opposition to the intent and purpose of the furlough program.
No. Neither overtime nor CTO may be used to provide services not rendered as a result of furloughs.
Employees “exempt” from FLSA lose their FLSA exemption and become non-exempt employees for the duration of the week in which a furlough day is taken. Note: Does not pertain to classifications included in the CFA agreement or physicians.
The number of student assistant hours and the number of administrators in a department should not be increased for the purpose of performing bargaining unit work.
Administrators will work with their staff to ensure that priorities, goals and expectations are re-assessed to identify the highest priority outcomes in consideration of the work hours available.
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PAYROLL
Gross pay will be reduced by 10.07% each pay period for the eleven (11) month period August 1,
2009 through June 30, 2010. NOTE: Academic Year faculty pay will be reduced by 9.23% for the eleven month
period September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2010
Individuals with questions regarding the impact of the furlough can estimate their net by using the Paycheck
Calculator available through
http://www.sfsu.edu/~hrwww/econ_times/et_budget.html
Gross wages will be reduced for calculation of taxes, including Social Security (FICA and Medicare) wages; the FICA and Medicare deductions will therefore be reduced. We anticipate that the impact from a one-year reduction in wages to your Social Security benefits, when factored with your wages over an entire career, will be minimal. Impact to future benefits based on your personal circumstances is best answered by the Social Security Administration and/or your personal tax advisor.
Department managers (first level MPP) are responsible for ensuring that all individuals covered by the furlough program take their required furlough days.
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EFFECT ON BENEFITS
Furlough programs do not adversely affect employees' anniversary date; seniority credits; vacation or sick leave accrual; payment of medical, dental or vision benefits; or FlexCash options. Eligibility for health benefits is based on time base and length of appointment. The time base does not change for employees subject to furlough; therefore, employees will remain eligible for health benefits.
Employees may make changes to their health plans only during our annual Open Enrollment period. Open Enrollment begins Monday, September 14th and ends Friday, October 9th, with changes effective January 1, 2010. Additional information, including the 2010 premiums, will be available in September.
Employees may make changes to amount deducted on 401 (k)/457 plans by phone through Savings Plus Plan’s Voice Response System, 1-866-566-4777, or online at www.sppforu.com. You may change your contribution at any time.
Employees may make changes to 403 (b) plan via the retirement manager link at https://www.aigretco.com/retireman/ You may change your contribution at any time.
Additional information is available at: http://www.sfsu.edu/~hrwww/econ_times/et_benefits.html
If a full time employee on a 2-day/month furlough plan works continuously during the entire fiscal year (FY), they will continue to earn a year of service credit (1.0). However, in rare situations (such as employees with appointments of less than 12 months in the FY; employees who do not work continuously during the entire FY; and employees who have a period of unpaid leave during the year), a full time employee may see a reduction in service credit as a result of the furlough program. Part-time employees accrue a proportionately reduced amount of service credit based on their time base.
No; maximum vacation allowances are governed by system-wide policies and Collective Bargaining Agreements.
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Effect on Leaves of Absence
Employees on a leave of absence without pay are exempted from taking furlough days during their absence.
Employees may find the information and resources listed in the Surviving in Tough Economic Times section under Furlough Information on the HR website at http://www.sfsu.edu/~hrwww/econ_times/econ_times.html useful in dealing with these challenging times.
Educational opportunities on financial and emotional health/wellbeing will be offered through Human Resources. Consult the HR website http://www.sfsu.edu/~hrwww/econ_times/econ_times.html often for more information.
E-mail the Human Resources at hrinfo@sfsu.edu
