NEW: Thank you for participating in the FixFlex petition! The petition is now closed. Members from FixFlex met with President Mason on June 23. Read more here…
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May 19, 2008
Petition to President Sally Mason
From Members of the UI Community
Dear President Mason:
These are difficult financial times for the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa community. In this context, the members of the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (FRIC) have faced a daunting task—to modify a UI benefits system that has not undergone major change in 20 years. We recognize the hard work and dedication of the members of FRIC. They are dealing with extremely complex issues at a time of real need.
We acknowledge that the UI benefits system needs to be changed, and we agree with many of the guiding principles FRIC has outlined. But we cannot agree with the proposal FRIC has put forward because it so clearly violates a central guiding principle—that the UI is family friendly.
FRIC’s PROPOSAL IS ANTI-FAMILY
Many of the families that will be hurt by this proposal have young children. These families will see a major decline in effective income. Families that maximize their contribution to dependent care spending accounts will generally see their pre-tax contribution from the University drop from $5,000 to approximately $1000-2000. Similar reductions will occur for families with members who have chronic conditions that require expensive medical treatments. The decrease in disability and life insurance coverage will leave some families already suffering from the burden of a life-threatening illness in an untenable position.
The FRIC proposal will impact many families at the UI. For instance, this proposal will negatively impact families where both spouses are employees of the UI. The proposal will also negatively impact families with one UI-employed spouse who have taken advantage of health care options provided by the other spouse’s benefits. In both situations, these families depend on using flex credits for child care and medical expenses not covered by other income sources. The burden placed on these families will be immense and may challenge our ability to retain the outstanding faculty and staff who form the backbone of this great university.
In this context, we ask you as President of the University of Iowa to:
FREEZE IT…
Place a one-year freeze on the current benefits system. It is not reasonable to expect families with young children and other dependents to suddenly adjust their finances—in some cases, by hundreds of dollars per month—within the span of seven months between July 2008 and January 2009 when FRIC’s proposal would go into effect. Families need more time to plan and make appropriate accommodations, and the UI community needs more time to discuss the major changes taking place to our benefits system.
…FRAME IT…
Information regarding the FRIC proposal has not been disseminated to the UI community. The proposal was discussed at the May 14th Staff Council meeting, but many employees were not notified of this meeting and have been forced to rely on second-hand information from colleagues or the media. The proposed changes to the benefits system and arguments for and against different options need to be clearly framed before a thorough, thoughtful discussion can ensue. In this context, we ask that FRIC make public the specifics of their proposal in writing and clearly communicate this information to the UI community.
…and then let’s FIX IT TOGETHER…
We are eager to participate in this process. We are eager to help.
The date proposed by FRIC for acceptance is July 1, 2008, and word of the proposal did not reach faculty and staff until mid-May. Thus, faculty and staff at the UI have roughly six weeks to comment on a plan that will cause many employees to lose their lifeline to affordable daycare costs, medical treatments for dependents, and access to adequate life insurance and disability benefits. In our view, this violates a basic tenet of the trust relationship between this University and its employees. It also violates the long history of thoughtful, democratic decision-making at the UI. Let us not rush to implement a proposal that forces some University employees to shoulder an enormous financial burden without discussion and representation.
President Mason, please freeze the FRIC proposal that places such a heavy burden on families with young children, frame the discussion in a context that clearly communicates the proposal and the challenges facing our University, and then let’s fix the benefits system together using the greatest strength of our fine institution—its people.
List of signatures
View the list of signatures here.
Petition Stats
Visit the petition stats page for demographics about who has signed, and salary comparisons.
Read Your Coworkers’ Stories:
Visit the your stories page, where UI employees tell how they will be affected.
Clarification of the Petition and our Mission
We understand that there are UI employees whose needs have been poorly met under the current benefits system. We affirm that the UI benefits system needs to be changed to better serve the needs of these employees and to meet the financial constraints of the University. We are concerned, however, that UI employees are being pitted against each other. In our view, changes to the UI benefits system simply cannot proceed in the manner that has been proposed by the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (FRIC), which will adversely affect so many employees in a very sudden way and without due process and representation. It is very troubling, for instance, that FRIC has not made public precisely how many UI employees there are in different demographic categories who will be positively versus negatively affected by the proposed changes.
The petition from FixFlex to UI President Mason must be viewed in this context. The petition is not aimed at preventing changes to the benefits system in general. Nor is it aimed at blocking the improvement of benefits for those who are hurting. Rather, it is intended to prevent a sudden negative impact on many employees at UI and to insist on a fair and thoughtful process as we collectively consider ways to modify the existing UI benefits system. In this sense, FixFlex aims to represent the interests of all UI employees who feel they have been disenfranchised.
