As an employee of my alma mater, the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, I, too, will have to take the mandatory four unpaid furlough days–one a month over the next four months.
Now, I have no illusions about the catastrophic mess that is the budget of the State of Illinois, and if by me taking four unpaid days off of work, jobs can be salvaged, then so be it. One unpaid day a month may not sound like much of a sacrifice, but to those of us squeaking by from paycheck to paycheck, it will be noticed. Still… I have no issue with doing my part to help save jobs and preserve the mission of the university.
However, I can’t help but feel a little irritated by the way the administrators are presenting this budget-cutting measure in the literature. For example, employees that must take these unpaid furlough days–or the other option, a temporary pay cut (more on that in a minute)–are described as “eligible”. When I think of the word, “eligible”, I think of an entirely different context. For example, I would consider myself “eligible” to win the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. Or, I could be “eligible” for winning a grand prize of a Carnival Cruise (actual odds of winning: 1 in 44 million; void where prohibited by law; see store for details). Is “eligible” really the best word to describe someone who is mandated to do something?
And speaking of lack of choice… Instead of taking unpaid furlough days off of work, U of I employees can opt for a temporary pay cut that is described in the literature as “voluntary”. To me, “voluntary” implies will or desire. I don’t know of anyone here who volunteered to have their salary cut by 2%. Again, I think the wording is misleading.
But my biggest fear about all these pay reductions in their varying forms, is that this is only the beginning. That come May, when furloughs and temporary pay cuts are scheduled to be over, more dire measures will be employed. Let’s hope I’m wrong.