SF State News {University Communications}

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Furlough calendar announced

Note: the following e-mail was sent to faculty and staff Aug. 7, 2009

 

Dear Colleagues:


The Chancellor’s Office has approved our 2009/10 furlough calendar. This message provides its details. While we are circulating the calendar now, so that you can become familiar with it and start to plan, we may be making adjustments as we continue to consult with union, Academic Senate, and other campus leadership and as we see throughout the year how well this furlough schedule works for us.    

As I stated in my earlier message, the 24-day furlough plan began Aug. 1 for the following: Management Personnel Plan (MPP), Confidential Employees, California State University Employees Union (CSUEU), Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), Academic Professionals of California (APC), employees in excluded classes and 12-month faculty represented by the California Faculty Association (CFA).  Academic-year faculty represented by CFA will observe 18 furlough days on academic work days during the fall and spring semesters.

UAW-Academic Student Employees, federally funded Head Start positions and University Police safety personnel are exempt from furloughs, as are positions that are funded directly from a grant. The Service Employees Trades Council (SETC) bargaining unit has elected not to negotiate furloughs. If you have any questions about whether your position is subject to furlough, please see your immediate supervisor. 

In developing this plan, we have sought to minimize the impact on the academic calendar, to allow both employees and supervisors to plan effectively, and to give faculty and staff some degree of flexibility. We have scheduled furlough days adjacent to planned holidays, weekends or such closures as Thanksgiving break, to create clusters and allow for some energy savings.   


Furlough plan for MPP, CSUEU, Confidential Employees, UAPD, APC, employees in excluded classes and 12-month faculty represented by CFA. (Academic Year faculty plan is detailed separately)
Of the 24 furlough days between Aug. 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, 18 are fixed and six -- which must be taken in March, April and June -- are flexible. These six days are to be scheduled in consultation with the employee’s supervisor, in a manner consistent with bargaining unit agreements.

On the 18 fixed furlough days, the campus will be closed. Twelve closures fall on non-instructional days; the remaining six fall on days when classes were scheduled.  


August: Campus closed Aug. 14 and 17: two fixed furlough days.


September: Campus closed Sept. 4, 7, 8:  two fixed furlough days plus Labor Day.


October: Campus closed Oct. 23 and 26: two fixed furlough days.


November: Campus closed Nov. 11 (Veterans Day) and during Thanksgiving week, Nov. 23–27: four fixed furlough days plus Thanksgiving Day.


December: Campus closed Dec. 23-31: fixed furlough days on Dec. 24 and Dec. 30; Christmas on Dec. 25; and four holidays -- Lincoln’s Birthday, President’s Day, Admissions Day and Columbus Day -- on Dec. 23, Dec. 28-29, and Dec. 31.


January: In addition to New Year’s, campus is closed Jan. 15 and 19, which are two fixed furlough days, and Jan. 18, which is Martin Luther King Day.


February: Campus closed Feb. 19 and 23 22 [error corrected 8/7/09]: two fixed furlough days


March: Employees must designate two furlough days this month. Campus closed March 29-30 for spring break. Employees must use vacation, personal holiday or one furlough day to cover this period. Campus also closed March 31, Cesar Chavez Day.


April: Employees must designate two furlough days this month. Campus closed April 1-2 for spring break. Employees must use vacation, personal holiday or one furlough day to cover this period.


May: Campus closed May 27-28 and May 31, creating a five-day weekend. The official holiday for Memorial Day is Monday, May 31. However, to comply with the rules governing the furlough schedule, we have moved Memorial Day, which is a floating holiday, to Friday, May 28, leaving May 27 and May 31 as fixed furlough days.

 

June: Employees must designate two furlough days in June.  The campus is closed June 1, and employees must use vacation, personal holiday or one furlough day to cover this period.


Note:  All non-faculty employees on furlough are considered hourly employees subject to overtime, termed nonexempt, during a week in which they take a furlough, and must follow nonexempt employee procedures and guidelines.


Furlough Plan for Academic Year (AY) Faculty represented by CFA
The furlough calendar mandates a total of 18 furlough days -- 6 fixed and 12 flexible -- for AY faculty represented by CFA.  Nine fall in each semester; all must be taken on an academic work day. Four of the six fixed furlough days are scheduled in the fall semester and two in the spring semester. Faculty will schedule their remaining 12 flexible days in consultation with their department chair. I realize that this is an additional burden placed upon already busy chairs, but the most appropriate place to make decisions with such a significant impact on faculty, students and the curriculum is the department. To enable chairs to better assist their faculty, a Q&A is being prepared.


Fall 2009 semester fixed furlough days are:

Friday, Sept. 4; Tuesday, Sept. 8; Friday, Oct. 23; and Monday, Oct. 26
Spring 2010 semester fixed furlough days are:

Friday, Feb. 19 and Monday, Feb. 22

 

Other campus closures:

For your information, in addition to fixed holidays, the campus will be closed on the following spring/fall semester non-academic work days:

  • Aug. 14 and 17
  • Nov. 11 (Veteran's day)
  • Nov. 23-27 (Thanksgiving week)
  • Dec. 23-31
  • Jan. 15 and 19
  • March 29-30 and April 1-2 (spring break)
  • May 27, 28 and 31
  • June 1

 

Additional information:
For more information on the furlough, including a Q&A, the official calendar and a schedule for upcoming informational sessions, visit the Human Resources Web site: http://www.sfsu.edu/~hrwww/. This calendar and the campus furlough policies are subject to change as the program is implemented. We suggest you visit this Web site frequently for updates.

Our furlough plan, developed after extensive consultation with deans, chairs, the Academic Senate and others, is as balanced and responsive to student and employee needs as we could make it and is structured in such a way as to avoid problems with both State and Federal agencies.

Furlough is an unprecedented action for us. Nonetheless, I am confident that we will deal with it in the same positive and practical spirit that has characterized SF State in challenging times.


-- Robert A. Corrigan, President

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