Salary Top Concern at UNC Forum

Group members also debated a resolution condemning the Sept. 11 terrorist acts, eventually agreeing to table the legislation so more provisions can be added.

The salary issue caused the most commentary among members at the meeting.

Members of the forum were critical of a $625 salary increase that the N.C. General Assembly recently adopted, saying the increase is not sufficient.

Chancellor James Moeser also expressed concerns about the size of the increase during his remarks at the start of the meeting. "My keenest disappointment is the money appropriated by the General Assembly for staff salary increases," he said "It is an across-the-board $625 increase, and I am acutely aware that this increase is not as high as the rising costs of family health care."

The topic was again brought up later in the meeting during a presentation given by Laurie Charest, vice chancellor for human resources.

Charest said the flat increases would not be tied to performance incentives or disciplinary actions, prompting one member of the forum to exclaim that such an increase should be revised.

"This will lead to increased salary compression, a problem we already have," the member said. "How are we going to deal with that?"

Charest replied by remarking, "That's a question for the state legislature."

But Charest did say her office plans to take measures to advocate more extensive increases from the General Assembly.

"We will immediately begin taking actions for salary increases," she said, adding that the University is now in the position to request additional increases. "What we had was a salary increase freeze, and that freeze is now gone."

The forum also unanimously passed a resolution calling for more environmentally sustainable University labor practices.

But a resolution condemning the terrorist attacks was tabled after a few delegates questioned whether such a resolution would serve any practical purpose.

Forum Chairman John Heuer recommended that the legislation be proposed to the Faculty Council as a joint resolution between UNC faculty and staff, an action he said would address recent criticism of some faculty for advocating a nonmilitary response to the attacks.

"A lot of faculty members have been accused of supporting the terrorists for their commitment to open discussion," Heuer said. "This would make it clear that we condemn the terrorism."

But one member said the resolution should not be approved until it included requests for the administration to take preventive measures against future attacks. "I don't see anything in this proposing some alternative action by the University to prepare for such attacks," the member said.

A motion to table and rewrite the resolution passed 21-9.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.