Emergency regulation change – COVID-19 furloughs

April 7, 2020

To: UA employees
From: Jim Johnsen

Re: Emergency regulation change – COVID-19 furloughs

Yesterday afternoon, in consultation with the chancellors and senior leadership, I implemented an emergency regulation change that reduced the minimum notification period for temporary COVID-19 related furloughs to 30 days.  The change to the notification period only applies to furloughs of employees whose jobs have been impacted by the university’s COVID-19 response. 

With this regulation, the chancellors will determine which employees from their respective universities meet the criteria for furloughs on shortened notice.  I will do so for statewide office employees.  Affected individuals will be notified at least 30 days in advance of the furlough effective date.

The decision to reduce the notice period for jobs impacted by COVID-19 was made after a great deal of deliberation. In response to the pandemic, UA has taken extraordinary steps to safeguard students, employees and the public.  Those steps include eliminating most in-person classes, dramatically reducing residential occupancy, closing buildings to the public, suspending services and activities as required by state health mandates, and requiring those workers who can do so to work from home.  As a result, some employees are assigned functions that are not currently needed, that cannot be performed at home, or that do not require full time effort. Given the effects of ongoing reductions in state funding, negative impacts on expenses and income as a result of the pandemic, and the need to ensure that university resources are spent for a public purpose, we have little choice but to assess the work available and adjust accordingly. 

Furloughs are, by their nature, temporary. They will be evaluated periodically and it is my hope that they will only be necessary for a short time, because we value you and your contributions to the university. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate through these difficult and unprecedented times. 

For more information on furloughs and other changes due to COVID-19, please visit the UA coronavirus information website.