1. Why should I volunteer for START?
If you can use more time off or are preparing for retirement you may be
interested in START. If you have family care responsibilities or would
like to take a course or pursue a hobby, do volunteer work in the community,
or just have more time for recreation and relaxation, you will want
to give START serious consideration. You will also have the satisfaction
of knowing that your willingness to reduce your wages temporarily helps
the University to weather the current budget crisis.
2. Are exclusively represented employees eligible to participate
in START?
Participation in START for exclusively represented employees is dependent upon agreement by the applicable union. Check with your local Human Resources Office regarding your eligibility to participate.
3. Does the reduced percentage of time need to be the same during
each month of my START contract or can it vary as long as the average
percentage reduction over the entire period of my participation in START
is the same as the percentage reduction reflected in my START contract?
You should have the same reduction in time and pay in each pay period
of your START contract. However, with your department head's approval,
your work schedule within a pay period may be flexible from week to week
as long as the total time reduced during the pay period is the same as
the percentage time reflected in your START contract.
4. If I am already on a reduction in time (mandatory or voluntary)
before I have the chance to sign up for START, can I still do so?
You can sign up for an additional reduction in time, as long as your percentage of time on pay status is not reduced below 50 percent time. That is, if your time had already been reduced 10 percent before START was implemented, you could reduce an additional percentage (at least 5 percent of full-time) as part of START. Vacation, sick leave, and UCRP service credit would accrue at the reduced appointment percentage established prior to the additional reduction taken under START.
Example:
Pre-START: 100 percent appointment reduced to 90 percent
START: 90 percent appointment reduced to 80 percent
Vacation and sick leave in this example would accrue at the 90 percent appointment
percentage.
5. Can I reduce my time below 50 percent time?
No, you cannot reduce your time below 50 percent and participate in START.
6. Can START reductions be in increments besides 10 percent or 5 percent? Can increments be in anything besides whole percentages?
The minimum reduction must be 5 percent, but beyond that minimum, reductions can be in any percentage increments up to 50 percent of full-time as long as your time is not reduced below 50 percent. For example, if a full-time employee wanted to work 5 days a week for 5 hours a day (total of 25 hours per week), the reduction in time would be 37.5 percent.
7. I would like to enroll in a class next September. Can I sign-up
for START beginning in September or must my START contract begin on
July 1?
Department heads are authorized to offer START to their employees any
time between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2010. Some departments may elect
to offer the program for the entire 24-month period; others may elect
to offer the program only during certain months such as the summer months;
and some may elect not to offer START at all. You should check with your
department head regarding the availability of the program in your department
during the period of time you are interested in reducing your time.
8. Must a START contract begin only on the first day of a month and end only on the last day of the month?
For employees who are paid monthly, a START contract must begin on the first day of a month and end on the last day of a month. For employees who are paid bi-weekly, time reductions are to be made in two bi-weekly increments, so a START contract would begin on the first day of the bi-weekly pay period and end on the last day of the second bi-weekly pay period.
9. Can I continue my participation in START if I transfer or
if I am promoted to another position in the same or different department?
Subject to approval of the relevant department head, you may continue
your participation in START for the term of your START contract when you
accept another position in the same or a different department.
10. If a supervisor has a number of employees requesting START
and requesting the same work schedule, how can the supervisor decide?
In such a situation, any reasonable and non-arbitrary method of decision-making
can be used. This could include, for example, random selection of employees,
seniority, etc.
11. If I sign up for START, will my workload be adjusted to reflect
my reduction in time?
START participants should review their assigned workloads with their supervisors
to work out a corresponding reduction in workload or assignments.
12. Can an employee who has a variable appointment participate
in START?
Employees with variable appointments are not
specifically excluded from participating in the START Program; however, because of
the fluctuating nature of variable appointments, it would be difficult
to determine the pre-START appointment percentage on which time reductions
and benefits under the program should be based.
13. Can employees who work a 4/10 or 9/80 schedule
participate in the START Program?
Yes, employees who work these alternative schedules can participate
in START. For example, an employee on a 4/10 schedule who wants to
reduce to 90 percent time could work a 4/9 schedule by reducing each work day
by 10 percent (an hour each day); while an employee on a 9/80 schedule can work
a 9/72 schedule by working 8 hours a day (a 10 percent reduction).
14. How can exempt (salaried) employees participate in START,
since such employees work whatever time it takes to get the job done?
An exempt employee may reduce his or her time and corresponding pay from 5 percent to 50 percent of full-time under START. However, time records for purposes of pay cannot be kept for exempt employees who receive the same salary each pay period regardless of hours worked. Exempt employees who participate in START may find a schedule involving full days off useful, although this would not preclude occasionally working some time on those days if necessary to meet a deadline. An appropriate workload reduction and a focus on working to meet job responsibilities rather than working a specified period of time are the intended approaches to START for exempt employees.
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