Chancellor approves campus LTE reform plan

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has adopted a detailed, multi-year plan that will reshape its use of Limited Term Employees (LTEs), Chancellor John D. Wiley announced Tuesday.

The plan was brought forward last month by Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell and the LTE Collaboration Group, an advisory body composed of students, staff and LTEs.

“This is a landmark occasion,” Wiley says. “LTEs, administrators and students sat around a table and were able to develop a solution to a complex problem that has affected this campus for decades.”

Wiley will officially sign off on the policy at a celebration event scheduled for 3:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, Oct. 3 in Memorial Union (TITU). He will make brief remarks and offer his gratitude to the LTE Collaboration Group for their work on the issue.

“I want to thank everyone who invested their time, energy and trust to this process,” Wiley adds. “Schools, colleges and campus units will be accountable to me to ensure that this plan is fully implemented.”

There are approximately 2,500 LTE appointments on the UW–Madison campus, providing services to numerous units ranging from the athletic department to the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS).

The LTE plan consists of several parts, to be launched today and accomplished over the next six years. The plan includes:

• Designating two types of functions – seasonal and irregular – as appropriate activities for units to create LTE appointments. The net effect of the move would be to reduce the number of LTE appointments in the future, except in appropriate areas.
• Converting 95 percent of all inappropriate LTE appointments over a six-year period. That effort would apply to current LTE positions funded by sources allowing for the creation of an FTE (Full Time Equivalent) position.
• For LTE positions funded by state dollars requiring Department of Administration involvement to create an FTE, UW–Madison would pursue conversion of at least 20 percent of those positions in each biennial budget submittal until the issue is corrected.

A “snapshot” of the current number of LTEs has been captured and will be used as a benchmark to measure how successful the campus has been in reducing the number of LTEs that don’t fit the “irregular or seasonal” definitions. A full estimate of the cost of the plan will also be known after the “snapshot” is analyzed, Bazzell says.

Beginning in July 2007, the plan would give most LTEs a pay increase to the “living wage” defined by the City of Madison as 110 percent of federal poverty rate for a family of four (currently $10.23 per hour). Through this pay increase, employees in LTE appointments, who often use the LTE position as their primary employment, would have additional means to support themselves and their families.

The plan will create an oversight group, the LTE Advisory Committee, designed to advise Wiley on the progress of the implementation of the policy. Jason Jankoski of the Classified Human Resources will serve as ex-officio staff for the committee, which will be made up of representatives from the campus LTE work force, labor organizations, students groups and administrators.

An LTE Clearinghouse, to be based in the Office of Employee Assistance, has been created. The clearinghouse will provide resources and support for LTEs, who have questions or concerns about their work environment. The Clearinghouse can be reached at (608) 265-8460.

As part of the plan, an array of training programs and educational materials will be provided to LTEs interested in learning more about classified permanent positions including how to apply for these positions.

Classified Human Resources is in the process of informing all campus LTEs of the plan and how it may affect them in the future. In addition, campus human resources representatives have already received information on changes that will be required of campus units.

UW–Madison will always have the need for legitimate LTE positions across campus, says Mark Walters, director of Classified Human Resources.

“We want to make it clear the campus will be transitioning to these new standards over a period of time,” he says. “If an LTE position is identified for conversion, it does not mean the employee in the position will immediately be affected.”

The basic intent of an LTE appointment is to give campus units the ability to hire short-term employees to carry out sporadic or seasonal work. LTEs are limited to no more than 1,043 hours, or six months of full-time work, per year.

Over the years, pressures to reduce permanent positions resulted in some LTEs working half-time over long periods without becoming permanent employees.

To ask questions about the plan, contact your human resources representative or Classified Human Resources at (608) 265-2257. In addition, the LTE Clearinghouse can be reached at (608) 265-8460.