Compensation and Economics Benefits Committee 
September 23, 2010 
1:30-3:00 p.m., Room 350 Bascom

Present: Ana Araujo, Lea Aschenase, Robert Purvis, Miriam Simmons, Alec Widerski, Beth Ann Workmaster 
Absent: Cheryl Diermyer, Dennis Ray, Eliza Waters

Approval of August meeting minutes: This will be done with the inclusion (by Miriam) of some further definitions to be supplied by Alec regarding the collective bargaining issue.

Announcements: As Vice Chair of CEBC, Ana has been appointed to the UW System Fringe Benefits Advisory Committee for a three-year term. Ana has not heard from that committee as to its next meeting.

Academic Staff Assembly, Monday, September 13: Ana and Dennis attended. Dennis gave the CEBC report to the Assembly. Other items included: dedication to Bruce Orchard, introductions of all AS representatives present, thank-you to the supporters and participants of the Furlough Day of Service last May, and announcements re upcoming Professional Development Grants.

Employee Benefits & Resource Fair, October 12, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Memorial Union: Individuals from ASEC and MASA will be staffing a joint academic staff governance table and they would like to know if any volunteers from CEBC would like to join them? Check calendars and get back to Miriam by Monday, September 27. Robert offered to attend.

ASEC August Retreat: Miriam passed out “Planning Meeting Priorities for 2010-2011” from the ASEC’s retreat. Commitments for CEBC that came from this are: 
1. Clarify and communicate information regarding the policies and procedures of the layoff process to a number of audiences, including campus leadership and academic staff, as well as to assist the Communications Committee to convey the academic staff story to the public-at-large. Beth and Ana expressed interest. Beth will chair. More volunteers are needed. 
2. Monitor the status of staff retirement contributions to the Wisconsin Retirement System. Since the issue of changing the program to require employees to make their own contributions is in the news as a political issue, it would be good to be informed on this. 
3. Gather and disseminate information about best practices with regard to performance reviews of academic staff. This could include gathering examples from departments and programs around campus, as well as reviewing the APO website and CEBC FAQs.

Transportation Subcommittee Update from Robert: The subcommittee met for the first time on Thursday, September 9. Discussion centered on summarizing the problem to date and on forming questions regarding additional information needed. Eliza will be contacting Patrick Kass at Transportation Services (TS) to request data concerning bus pass and parking usage, the survey of campus employees, travel distances, and salary information with the goal of assessing the potential financial impact on employees that any fee increases may incur. TS now has a new web site (http://transportation.wisc.edu ) and the information from the Open Spring Forum presentations are now moved under the Campus Transportation Committee (CTC) meeting information and agendas at http://transportation.wisc.edu/files/OpenForumPresentation.pdf . Robert pointed out it would be good to be in contact with the CTC and attend their meetings to see how best the CEBC subcommittee can be of help. There was consensus that more could be made of the point that Madison Metro charges the UW for each ride (i.e., each swipe) for use of the bus pass.

Collective Bargaining Update from Alec: Definition of Unit Clarification (from website) 
• Most state employees (including many at UW-Madison) are classified staff and are represented by unions 
• Academic staff are defined by law as "professional and administrative personnel other than faculty with duties, and subject to types of appointments, that are primarily associated with higher education institutions or their administration." 
• It's open to interpretation, and to disputes over interpretation 
• Several unions believe that the University has deliberately and systematically placed people in the academic staff who should be in the classified staff--and thus part of their unions 
• Unit clarification is the process by which they hope to move those people into the classified staff and into their unions 
• It may or may not succeed.

Next meeting: Tuesday, October 19, 1:30-3:00 p.m., Room 350 Bascom

Respectfully submitted by Beth Ann Workmaster