Damn this is hard to get past the paralysis of what this personally means for our family -

[Ms. Toad]

11. Our group is the odd one out.

We are not represented by a bargaining unit, so we are the first cut, the last to get a raise, etc.

All other units received 4 raises in the period from 2013 to present. In lieu of one they gave us a week extra of vacation (but my workload is too heavy to take even the vacation I already have). In lieu of the second, they gave us a one-time $1,000 bonus (so it isn't added into our base salary they way other groups were - so it's the gift that keeps on (not) giving.

So with this COVID cut, announced first in the paper - we were (again) cut earlier than everyone else - so, except for the fact that I have received 2 promotions since 2013, my pay would now be lower than in 2013. The personal notification came more than a month after the cut, deposited in my work mailbox to which I have access to only because I'm high enough up to be able to have permission to enter the building during the COVID lock-out. Those without special access got personal notice (in their work mailboxes) about 2 months after the fact.

And, adding insult to injury, the cuts were described as equal across the board - but what they meant was equal dollar amount for each group. So our group, which has fewer members than any other group, received a 3-10% cut, while the other groups received a maximum of 1% cut.

I pointed out to the dean that the university needed to take management lessons from Starbucks - since they are treating their (largely) non-degreed $10/hour work force with significantly more respect that the University treated their (largely) 2-degreed salaried staff. He agreed, but also has no authority to change it. I suggested even an email (cost:$0), mail merged with each of our names to quasi-personalize it - sent 24 hours before the press release would have been more respectful.

Not that I'm bitter or anything. (I work about 100 hours a week. I'm writing this on a short break between giving my students an exam simulation for the bar exam that is about 2 weeks out. Tomorrow is a repeat. Obviously, I'm not doing it for the money - I'm doing it for my students. But it would be nice to be treated as a valued employee.)