On June 23rd, 2022, the University of Missouri Board of Curators discussed a white paper entitled “Modernizing Leave Plan Programs: Considerations and Recommendations” (see pp. 113-141). Prepared by Aon consulting with UM system committees, this report proposes significant changes to existing benefits packages. These changes include the consolidation of different, purpose-specific leave categories (e.g. vacation days, sick days, personal days, and holidays) into a single paid-time-off (PTO) bank, with significant reductions in overall time off earned by each employee each year. Details regarding current averages of time-off taken per employee per year, projected impact on staff retention by category and service tenure, proposed rates of PTO accrual, and “phase-in” points for enhanced benefits based on time spent in service, are also discussed in the white paper.
AAUP agrees that providing all MU staff and faculty affected by this program with a regionally competitive benefits package, including access to short-term disability and parental leave, is an important goal. Such an outcome would be no less than staff and faculty deserve, and the University should indeed aspire to lead the way in mid-Missouri when it comes to providing comprehensive benefit packages for all its employees. However, serious concerns have been raised by colleagues across campus, in particular regarding:
- the accuracy of data from peer academic institutions and regional employers presented on pp. 119-121 of the report;
- the overall reduction of earned time off per annum, especially in light of the plan’s promise to “Realize cost savings” and” deliver “annual cash savings and liability reduction”;
- the report’s lack of detail regarding compensation for current balances of accrued time off, with only one sentence in the UM System FAQ (“Accrued vacation and/or sick balances at transition will be honored.”) describing this key element of the process.
These concerns have been raised both in letters to the editors of the Columbia Missourian and in open letters from campus stakeholders addressed to the Board of Curators.
In recent years—if not decades—fiscal uncertainty has resulted in significant austerity measures being imposed across the UM system, with the MU campus being no exception. While we have all had to make do with less, no group has been more profoundly affected by compounding years of retrenchment and consolidation than university staff. Facing expanded portfolios of responsibility without adequate training, resources, or support—and in many cases without raises—our colleagues across the campus, from hospital rooms to classrooms, have risen to the challenge. All teaching, learning, and research at MU depends upon the work of our staff colleagues, and they do not deserve to suffer a significant loss of benefits under the guise of ‘modernization.’
AAUP stands with staff and affected faculty, and the staff union LiUNA, in opposing any and all cuts to existing benefits. Accordingly, we endorse the letters sent by individual staff members, the MU Librarians and Archivists Council (MULAC) and its Staff Advisory Group (SAG), members of the MU Law School and other engaged faculty and staff, and request that all proposals be modified to enhance and expand benefits for staff and affected faculty, rather than contracting them.