The University of Houston is trying to tighten its budget by implementing mandatory furlough days for faculty members, according to the Houston Chronicle. The furlough will apply to all full-time employees, which is about 4,000 people on the central campus. However, employees who earn below a certain amount will be exempt from taking mandatory time off without pay. The furloughs are expected to cut more than $15 million dollars from the university's budget over the next 17 months.
The story of furloughs at UH is sadly not all that uncommon. In addition to furloughs, some educational institutions have been forced to resort to layoffs. The Houston Chronicle reports that the University of Texas at Austin has laid off several dozen people in recent months in hopes of tightening a stiff budget. The university has also eliminated other positions through attrition and retirements. Employees at UH will also be expected take up to three unpaid days off this summer.
Some people see furloughs as the "lesser of two evils," because taking a few unpaid days of work keeps some people from losing their job. Yet, a Houston employment lawyer might argue that with layoffs, a person can at least obtain Unemployment Insurance and look for a new job that does not mandate unpaid time off. Still, many faculty members at the university seem to be against layoffs.
Mark Clarke, president of the Faculty Senate at UH told the Houston Chronicle, "It's not something anybody wants to have to do, but from a faculty perspective, it's better than laying off people."
Related Resources:
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Friday Furloughs: Judge Allows Hawaii to Cut Class (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life Blog)
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California Judge Rules Against State Furloughs (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life Blog)
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Find Houston Employment Lawyers (FindLaw)
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