Faculty Furlough FAQ
View the Cal Poly 2009/10 Furlough Implementation Plan [pdf] rev. 08/04/2009 or benefit related FAQs.
Faculty Fall 2009 Furlough Certification Form (pdf)
The CFA and CSU have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (pdf) regarding faculty furloughs. Below is a FAQ list to help answer questions.
1. What is a faculty furlough day?
The term "furlough day" as used in the CSU/CFA Furlough Agreement refers to a day on which a faculty unit employee is normally scheduled to work, or is in pay status, that is taken as an unpaid day off.
2. Which faculty employees are covered by the Faculty Furlough Program?
All Unit-3 Faculty employees are covered by the Faculty Furlough Program. This includes Tenure Track faculty (including FERP) and full-time and part-time Lecturers. Coaches who are in faculty unit classifications, SSP-AR Counselors, and Librarians are included.
3. Are there exemptions from furloughs under the Faculty Furlough Agreement?
Under the Agreement the following exemptions from furloughs have been identified:
- Faculty Unit employees whose salaries are 100% funded from grants and contracts, and not funded from the state general fund.
- Faculty Unit employees whose salaries are partially funded from grants and contracts and partially funded from the state general fund are subject to this furlough program pro-rata with the percentage of funds received from the state general fund.
- Instructional Faculty Unit employees in 2322, Special Programs, and 2323, Extension for Credit, shall also not be subject to this furlough agreement.
4. Am I covered by the Faculty Furlough Program if I am on a Sabbatical Leave or Difference-in-Pay Leave during the 2009-10 Academic Year?
Yes. Faculty on paid leaves (with a few exceptions noted below such as FMLA leave) are covered by the Faculty Furlough Program.
5. How many faculty furlough days will employees be required to take?
- Full-time Academic-Year Faculty are subject to six furlough days per academic quarter and eighteen (18) furlough days during the 2009/2010 academic year, between September 13, 2009 through June 13, 2010.
- Full-time 12-month faculty including Librarians and department heads/chairs are subject to twenty-four (24) furlough days between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.
- 10-month faculty, such as 10-month Librarians and 10-month Coaches, are subject to no more than twenty (20) furlough days between August 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.
- Part-time faculty are subject to furloughs on a prorated basis consistent with the employee’s time base (e.g., half-time lecturers take six days weighted as .5 of a full-day per quarter, preferably on non-teaching days.)
6. What factors should be considered in scheduling the additional furlough days?
The following factors should be considered in determining the additional faculty furlough days:
- The operational needs of the department or college. For example, for the instructional faculty, the dean should work with the faculty member to assure that course objectives and student learning outcomes are addressed.
- Furlough guidelines for faculty employees include no more than one furlough day in any workweek, nor more than two furlough days in any calendar month. The only exception is that once per year, up to four furlough days may be taken in a single workweek.
- Up to four (4) faculty furlough days may be observed in a single calendar month once during the year. With the exception of this one-time observance, no faculty-unit employee will be subject to, or take, more than two (2) faculty furlough days in any calendar month.
- All furlough days must be taken before June 30, 2010.
7. Has any guidance been provided to the campuses regarding what might constitute compelling operational needs?
Yes. The priority of the University is student instruction. Maintaining student instruction and ensuring that learning outcomes and course objectives are met would constitute a compelling operational need (per section 3a of the furlough agreement), and these priorities should be taken into consideration when seeking to come to an agreement with individual faculty over the scheduling of furlough days.
8. What other principles govern work assignments during the furlough program?
The provisions of Article 20 of the collective bargaining agreement continue to govern the composition of professional duties and responsibilities. The furlough program shall not result in an unreasonable workload or schedule per article 20.3.
9. Is there a prohibition against using teaching days as furlough days?
No. However, every effort should be made to maintain student instruction at a level at which learning outcomes and course objectives continue to be met. In addition to days on which they are scheduled to teach, faculty members are encouraged to select days on which they are not scheduled to teach, as well as days on the academic calendar that are work days but not instructional days such as Instructional Planning Day (September 21) and Commencement (December 12). In situations where instructional days must be used as furlough days, such as when the faculty member is scheduled to teach 5 days a week, no one class should be disproportionately impacted.
10. How can faculty members achieve a reduction of effort proportional to the furlough?
Article 20 provides a framework by describing the scope of faculty duties and responsibilities. In addition to any reduction in instruction consistent with the principles described above, we expect that faculty members will reduce out-of-classroom activities as well (both directly related to instruction and indirect instructional activities, if applicable).
11. What if I am currently participating in the FERP Program and would like to take a leave without pay?
Any FERP participant may request, and shall be granted, a leave of absence without pay for any academic term or terms beginning between September 13, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Such leave of absence without pay shall not adversely affect future participation in the FERP. Specifically, any FERP participant taking such a leave of absence without pay shall be entitled to participate in the FERP for a total period of no more than five (5) academic or fiscal years.
A FERP may request to reduce his/her current 2009/10 FERP assignment through a partial LWOP and then return to his/her regular FERP assignment in 2010/11. The ending day of the FERP participation would not be extended in this situation.
12. Can faculty still apply to be on the Pre-Retirement Reduction in Time-Base (PRTB) Program for the 2009/2010 Academic Year?
Yes. Any tenured faculty employee who applies, and is otherwise eligible for a PRTB for any academic term or terms beginning between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010 shall be granted such a PRTB. Any tenured faculty unit employee currently holding a PRTB who applies for a further PRTB for any academic term or terms beginning between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010 shall be granted such further PRTB.
13. Can I choose to work on an already scheduled faculty furlough day?
No. The CSU/CFA Faculty Furlough Agreement requires that prior to the start of their assignment for any term, faculty must certify in writing that they will not work on the assigned furlough day and they will not work beyond the duties assigned for the furlough week.
14. How will workload be managed with the reduced number of work days?
As is stated in the CSU/CFA Faculty Furlough Agreement, the furloughs shall not result in an unreasonable workload schedule. The composition of professional duties and responsibilities of individual faculty members shall be determined as described in Article 20 of the Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement.
15. Can we hire additional administrators and volunteer faculty to replace some faculty unit responsibilities during furlough days?
For the duration of the furlough program, no additional administrators or volunteers (meaning those who did not teach or otherwise volunteer in Academic Year 2008/2009) may perform bargaining unit duties in a department in which faculty unit employees are subject to furlough.
16. Can faculty members substitute vacation days or sick leave for faculty furlough days?
No. A faculty furlough day is a day in which a faculty unit employee is normally scheduled to work, or is in pay status, that is taken as an unpaid day off.
17. Will we have an opportunity to revise our benefits plans early (immediately) in light of the cut we will soon see on our paychecks? For example, I have $ taken out of each check (pre-tax) for DCRA that I will now need on a monthly basis. Under regular open enrollment, I cannot have this changed until January 1st. I might also consider selecting a different (less expensive) health plan if given the opportunity to do so. Are such things even being discussed?
Employees may make changes to their health plans only during our annual
Open Enrollment period. This year's Open Enrollment begins Monday
September 14th and ends Friday, October 9th, with changes effective
January 1, 2010.
We are awaiting interpretation by the Chancellor’s Office whether the furlough will be a "permitting event" to allow changes to Health Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA) and Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA) contributions.
18. Will the Faculty Furlough Program impact those on Family Medical Leave (FMLA), Industrial Disability Leave (IDL), or Non-Industrial Disability Insurance (NDI)?
No. The Faculty Furlough program will not impact Family Medical Leave, Industrial Disability Leave and Non-Industrial Disability Insurance (NDI) Leave.
19. How do the furloughs affect Additional Employment and the 125% rule?
For the period between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, Article 36.4 has been revised to read as follows: "The 25% coverage as used in this Article shall be calculated as a percentage of the faculty unit employee’s pre-furlough full-time workload or, when appropriate, full-time time base or 25% of the Faculty Unit Employee’s full-time salary whichever is greater. The total additional employment of the Faculty Unit employee shall not exceed the 25% overage." Thus, calculation of the overage may be based on either time worked or a percentage of salary, whichever is greater. Specific questions about the 125% rule should be addressed to the office of Academic Personnel.
20. Since the parking fees were increased when we got salary increases, will these fees now go down by 9.23% or the equivalent of income loss related to furloughs?
Parking Fees are negotiated under collective bargaining. The furlough agreement between CFA and CSU did not include any language regarding a reduction in parking. This is not a campus decision.
21. How will the faculty furlough program affect Unit 11- Academic Student Employees?
Unit 11 employees such as TAs, GAs, and Instructional Student Assistants are not subject to the Faculty Furlough Program.
22. If I received a grant that would cover 10% of my salary/time, I might reduce my quarterly WTUs from 12.0 to 10.8 (perhaps fewer senior projects) and my non-instructional activities from 3.0 WTUs to 2.7 (perhaps fewer office hours or less committee work). May I take the furlough in a similar manner? Put another way, will one be expected to carry 36 instructional WTUs and 9 non-instructional WTUs next year while being furloughed 10% of the time?
If you receive a grant to cover 10% of your salary, then that portion will be excluded from the reduction in salary, assuming that the grant is federally funded. A furlough day will be date specific where no work will be performed. Full-time faculty will normally be expected to carry 36 instructional WTUs and 9 non-instructional WTUs next year while taking 18 furlough days where no work will be performed. We are awaiting a technical letter from the Chancellor’s Office on how to address furloughs and grants. We will post that information as soon as it becomes available.
23. I have arranged to take a paternity leave in Winter 2010 that will be structured as a 4.6 WTU reduction in my teaching load. Thus, in effect, every day that I work I will only be doing 62% of my usual workload. When I then take a furlough day during that quarter, does the furlough day count as a full day or as 62% of a day? If the latter, do I have to take extra furlough days to make up the difference?
You will not have to make up the work. You will be expected to take 6 furlough days during Winter Quarter 2010. You are paid the same amount every day of the academic quarter.
24. I will be on sabbatical leave all of next academic year (50% pay). Questions: Am I only required to take 50% of the furlough days consistent with the reduction of 9.23% of 50% pay?
You still take six furlough days per quarter.
25. As the purpose of a sabbatical leave is to "provide a benefit to the CSU", do I need to identify days (as furlough days) ahead of time where my activities are not going to provide benefit to the CSU?
You need to provide six furlough days during the academic quarter, regardless of benefit to the University.
26. Some CSU Presidents are closing their campus for up to six days. Does President Baker intend to close the campus during Fall Quarter?
President Baker decided not to close campus between August and December. He has delegated authority to the Vice Presidents and Deans to manage furlough days in their respective areas. Some departments/units will be closed on some workdays, and in some situations (such as between Christmas and New Years' Day), many but not all departments/units may be closed.
27. Will the furlough affect by base pay??
Your base pay rate will remain the same. However, your compensation will reduced by the appropriate furlough percentage (approximately 9.23% for academic year faculty and 10.07% for 12-month faculty).
28. Is there a calculator on the website I can use to determine my net pay during the furlough period??
Yes. Payroll Services provides a paycheck calculator at http://www.afd.calpoly.edu/payroll/links.asp
Click on "2009 Paycheck Calculator for pay issued 5/4/09 through 12/31/09" (xls)
First calculate your furlough adjusted gross salary using the following example:
- Current (non-furlough base salary rate) gross salary = $5,000/month
- Furlough percentage reduction rate = 9.23%
- $5,000 x 9.23% = $461.50 = Salary reduction amount
- $5,000 - $461.50 = $4538.50 = Furlough adjusted gross monthly salary
Now enter this furlough adjusted gross salary as your gross pay in the paycheck calculator above to determine your furlough net pay.