The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will begin implementing furlough plans for all employees in the coming months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chancellor Mark Mone released an update on the UWM website in which he outlined the interim furlough policy.
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He says furloughs will be implemented for all employees beginning July 1 and will remain in place through June 30, 2021 with certain conditions depending on the type of employee.
According to the plan, 12-month employees will receive eight furlough days, nine-month employees will receive six days and an undisclosed higher number of days will be dispersed to higher paid 12-month employees.
"It is extremely unfortunate that we need to implement furloughs and I understand you have many concerns," said Mone in a statement. "We can weather this storm together by doing what we know how to do best – lifting up and supporting each other. We are Panthers and we are resilient."
Some employees may also be placed on position-specific furloughs as early as May 2, which is when the COVID-19 leave expires, according to Mone. These furloughs will not apply to faculty, but likely to employees whose work cannot be done remotely, or who are deemed essential to onsite operations, as well as those in units most impacted by immediate financial losses.
Furloughs are not layoffs. They are unpaid, required leave of absences for a designated amount of time in which employees remain employees of the institution.
"We are using furloughs instead of layoffs because it is our goal to bring employees back to their positions when normal campus operations resume, and our revenue sources are stabilized," said Mone.