Flexible Furlough

Governor Beverly Perdue signed an executive order on April 28th requiring furloughs of all state employees. This action includes all university personnel regardless of the funding source. The Governor’s action aims to ensure that the state of North Carolina will have a balanced budget on June 30, 2009.

All teachers’ and state employees’ compensation will be reduced by an amount equivalent to 0.5% of their annualized base salary over the remainder of the fiscal year. Full time leave earning employees can take 10 hours flexible time off between May 15 and December 31, 2009. Non-full time employees can take a pro-rated portion of flexible time off.

After reviewing several options and getting feedback from hundreds of employees on campus, it has been decided to provide faculty and staff full flexibility for scheduling the time off and not to designate a single closing day. Although there will be no energy savings, this does mean that each employee will have the flexibility to schedule their own time off. Furlough time off can be scheduled with supervisory approval from now through December 31. The university closes for winter break and requires three days of vacation leave; some individuals may wish to save their furlough time for then.

Each supervisor has to approve furlough time between now and December 31. In order to honor the flexibility spirit that the governor stated, each supervisor is strongly encouraged to approve furlough leave at times as requested by the employees.

We have developed this website in order to provide as much information as we know when we know it and will continue to update this site as guidance becomes available. Please see the links below for further information.

Furlough FAQ's

• When does the program start? When does it end?
• What is the program?
• How is the salary reduction applied to permanent employees?
• How is the reduction applied if the employee's final pay for this fiscal year is in May?
• NEW How are new hires during this period treated in terms of administering the Flexible Furlough?
• NEW How is the salary reduction applied to temporary faculty and EPA employees?
• How is the salary reduction applied to SPA temporary employees?
  • SPA Temporary Employees Flexible Furlough Reductions
• Does the salary reduction apply to interns, undergraduate students, or graduate assistants?
• NEW How will Summer Session I payments be handled?
• How will employees know how much was taken out of pay for the salary reduction?
• What is “flexible time off”?
• How many hours of time off do I get if I work part-time?
• What about employees eligible for overtime and shift premium. Will the .5% be deducted from overtime and shift premium pay?
• How is the flexible time off recorded on the electronic timesheet?
• When must the flexible time off be taken?
• Can I use the 10 hours of flexible furlough time off to make up for adverse weather leave?
• Can employees take the flexible time off whenever they want? Does the supervisor have to approve the request to take this time off?
• What happens if employees don’t request time off?
• What if employees don’t like the time the supervisor schedules. Can they file a grievance about it?
• What happens if employees don’t request the time off and their supervisor doesn’t schedule them for time off? Will they get the ten hours salary back?
• What happens if an employee leaves state service before they use the time off? Will money still be deducted from their paychecks in May and June?
• Can employees work additional hours to make up for the unpaid time off?
• NEW Will the Flexible Furlough Program affect employee benefits?
• How will this affect my ability to earn overtime?
• Will employees who are being separated in a RIF either May 31 or June 30 have the .5% deducted from their paychecks?
• Will this program affect the amount of longevity I am supposed to receive?
  

Furlough Communications

• UNC Policy 300.2.16 Guidelines for Implementing Governor’s Executive Order #11
• Required Furlough Reductions Memo - May 26, 2009
• Executive Order No.11 - Establishing and Implementing a Flexible Furlough Plan for the 2008 -2009 Fiscal Year (Revised)
• State Employees Furlough Letter from Governor Perdue
• Chancellor DePaolo's Furlough Announcement - April 28, 2009
• Office of State Budget and Management - Implemenation of Flexible Furlough Program for all State Employees - April 28, 2009
• Office of State Personnel Information about Flexible Furlough

Budget Office

• Flexible Furlough Information