Annual Report of the University Staff Council
For the period June 2004 through May 2005

The University Staff Council ended its fourth year of representing classified staff with elections that saw at least one candidate for every open representative position. During the last year Staff Council representatives addressed various concerns of their constituents such as mowing of wildflowers, late night childcare, Sick Leave Pool, and longevity pay for part-time staff, just to name a few. Staff Council committees researched these along with other issues and worked with University departments to resolve concerns affecting staff. Reports by these committees continued a reputation for thoroughness that has not gone unnoticed by the University community. Staff Council representatives provided a conduit to the classified staff for useful information in the areas of benefits, parking and transportation concerns, on-campus childcare, guidelines for use of computers at work, and other areas of interest to staff. The Staff Council Executive Committee participated in the Legislative Budget Board's Management and Performance Review of UT Austin. The Staff Council Chair and Vice Chair represented the UT Staff in the annual 'UT Remembers' ceremony.

Major Accomplishments over the last twelve months

• New grievance policy adopted - A new grievance policy went into effect on September 1, 2004. Revision of the old grievance policy was the very first issue accepted by the Staff Council after it formed, and the implementation of the new policy is the result of much work from the Staff Council Grievance Committee and support from Human Resource Services. Other UT System components now are interested in using the new grievance policy as a model for revising their grievance policies.
• Participation on University wide committees and task forces - Staff Council members continued to play an important part in campus affairs by serving on committees such as the Parking and Transportation Policy Committee, University Police Oversight Committee, UT System Employee Advisory Council, Committee on Campus Community, search committee for the Vice Provost for Inclusion and Cross-Cultural Effectiveness. The Faculty Council also approved the inclusion of staff members on several campus wide committees for 2005-2006 where there had been no previous staff representation. Christy Habecker, UTSC member, was elected as UT Austin representative to UT System Wide Insurance Advisory Committee.
• Clarification of time reporting policies - Based on recommendations submitted by the Staff Council, Human Resource Services made several changes and additions to the electronic time sheet to reflect Exempt or Non-Exempt status according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). A link to an explanation of FLSA status was also placed on the electronic time sheet as well as a link to the FLSA Compliance Training Module. Also, a certification statement was placed on the electronic time sheet to remind both employees and supervisors to observe all law and policies regarding the reporting of hours worked.
• Compensation guidelines for employees who assist at university events - HRS responded to our recommendations on our issue No. 2004-5 concerning the definition of employee “volunteerism” and compensation with regard to University-sponsored events by issuing new guidelines in this area.

Since its inception the Staff Council has reviewed 95 issues submitted to the Council. Seventeen issues were submitted during this session of the Staff Council that began in June 2004. At the time of this report there are fourteen issues under consideration by the UTSC and its committees. The committees’ diligent efforts are responsible for the continuing success and effectiveness of the Staff Council.

The Staff Council also wishes to acknowledge the support it has been given by Human Resource Services in providing materials, room reservations, and technical support for the Staff Council Web site and elections. In particular, the Staff Council wishes to thank Kyle Cavanaugh, Linda Casarez, Sarah Shafer, and Yan Zuo for their support of the Staff Council over the past year.

Glen Worley
Chair, UT Staff Council