THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSE AT CHATTANOOGA
Exempt Staff Council Meeting
Fortwood Room, University Center
Members Attending: Debbie Bell, Tonya Botts, Jean Dake, Tom Ellis, Anne Gamble, Lindsay Pardue, Nate Pinkard, Charles Scott, Barbara Webb.
Others in attendance: Jim Hicks, representing Ellen Neufeldt; Dan Webb, Director, Office of Human Resources; Melanie Sadler, Administrative Secretary, Office of Human Resources.
Call to Order: Ms. Dake called the meeting to order. She welcomed Anne Gamble, who is filling Deb Anderson’s term as representative.
Minutes: A motion was made and seconded for approval of December 2, 2003 and January 20, 2004 minutes as submitted.
Executive Council Update:
Chancellor Stacy has announced that all areas, excluding Academics, must reduce their budgets, although Vice Chancellors have not received notice of how much they must cut. A total of $400,000 and an additional $600,000 from budget reductions will be placed into the Academic budget. Ms. Dake urged members to attend the university budget meetings.
The ESC’s salary adjustment plan was approved at the last budget meeting but Knoxville has delayed approval of adjustments until the governor presents his budget in February. The Governor has recommended a 2% across-the-board raise for all state and University employees (this increase will NOT be funded by the state), and a one-time bonus of 1%, funded by the state, effective in July.
By-Law Committee Meeting:
The By-Law Committee (Debbie Bell, Jean Dake, Ellen Neufeldt, Charles Scott) met to discuss proposed changes to the by-laws and representational groups by viewing reporting lines, sources of funding, group size limit, and community of interest.
Proposed changes to By-Laws:
Section B, # 1 to read: ….there will be at least one representative for each twenty (20) regular exempt staff members in the represented group. The Athletic Department will have one representative with no limit on group size.
Section B, # 2 to read: ….with the exception of individuals with faculty rank, Vice Chancellors, Athletic Director, and individuals reporting directly to the Chancellor.
The committee will meet again and present changes for approval at the March meeting in advance of April elections. Members are urged to email comments to Ms. Bell.
ESC Open Meeting:
Some exempt employees said, at the meeting held last fall, they were unaware how departments determine budget requests. There was discussion regarding a “Budget 101” presentation by either UTC’s budget office or the Treasurer’s Office, possibly for ESC members only, following elections.
Workplace Satisfaction Survey:
Results of a system-wide workplace satisfaction survey, conducted in fall 2003, were announced via Raven. Participation from UTC employees was higher than other campuses. Mr. Webb said the Chancellor is committed to addressing negative responses received as they relate to UTC.
IRIS Functionality Rollout:
There are currently five electronic HR/Payroll forms available for use in IRIS. Workflow charts will be posted on the Human Resources web site. The newest version of IRIS, referred to as “Enterprise,” will go live on March 29 and training classes are being scheduled. Mr. Webb added that many functions in IRIS that have previously been done on a limited or centralized basis will now be rolled out to the college and department level.
Job Review Guidelines:
All non-exempt positions with IRIS or ANDI responsibilities will be reviewed system-wide. Employees will be asked to review their current PDQ with their supervisor and make revisions if necessary. A questionnaire of IRIS responsibilities will also be distributed to employees for completion and should be returned to HR, along with the updated PDQ. Mr. Webb reminded members that the PDQ review does not necessarily mean an upgrade. Revised PDQs will be evaluated by the system-wide Job Audit Team and upgrades recommended if justified by a significant increase in scope, accountability, and responsibility of a particular job. Non-IRIS related positions will not be included in this audit but all positions at UTC are scheduled to be audited in 2006.
Exempt Staff Promotion Grievance:
State law requires a grievance policy for non-exempt employees and members expressed interest in a policy for exempt staff. The ESC Policy/Procedure Committee may choose to examine this. In the current grievance policy for non-exempt employees, denial of promotion or reclassification is specifically excluded from the grievance process. If any staff member (exempt or non-exempt) wishes to contest a classification determination by Human Resources, the staff member, with supervisor’s concurrence, may appeal to the UT system-wide job review panel, consisting of HR Directors and compensation specialists from various campuses.
ESC Website:
Barbara Webb stated that she and Troy Carroll are updating the website. Minutes and a list of exempt staff have been posted. Nate Pinkard and Bill Williams will work with Ms. Webb to place photos of representatives on the website after elections.
Motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting. Next Meeting is March 16 at 10 am in the Fortwood Room, University Center.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melanie Sadler
Administrative Secretary
Office of Human Resources