Faculty examine benets, salary

Several faculty members voiced their concerns with the University's health care benefits and salary policies during Friday's meeting of the Faculty Council.

Frustration with both policies, including the health coverage of dependents, is a key wedge issue in the University's continuing battle with faculty retention.

More than half of the University's faculty members do not think their health benefits meet their needs, and almost two-thirds of respondents said their salaries do not reflect their contributions to the University, according to the results of a preliminary report on faculty retention.

"Employees can't afford to cover their dependents anymore," said Leslie Winner, general counsel of the UNC system. "We won't make this perfect, but we really can make this better."

The University's plan now costs $4,203 per employee, among the lowest number in a list of costs at 18 other research universities, according to statistics presented during the meeting.

The per-employee cost of contributions, $1,026, is similar to that at other universities. But officials noted that this number is deceiving because the plan costs nothing for employees but does not include the full cost for dependents.

A plan created by the UNC system will provide more choices for faculty, Winner said, indicating that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work.

But Judith Wegner, chairwoman of the faculty, said efforts should first be made to look at changing the existing plan. "At the end of the day, we'll regret it," she said. "It's at least worth the mental exercise to consider, 'Are there better ways to deploy the resources already available for health benefits?'"

Laurie Charest, associate vice chancellor for human resources at UNC-Chapel Hill, encouraged faculty members to send feedback to her and Winner.

Members of the Faculty Council also developed a resolution to address salary compression, salary policies and transparency in setting salaries. The council will vote on the resolution next month.

The resolution addresses faculty members' sentiment that many at UNC-CH must receive outside offers to get a raise at the University. According to the retention report, almost two-thirds of respondents believe a written external offer is necessary, and 90 percent think the policy is corrosive.

"The point of the resolution is to say, 'We don't think this is the way it should work,'" Wegner said.

The resolution also addresses inequitable salary compression, which occurs when one faculty member's salary is 10 percent less than that of another faculty member hired in the prior five years who has worked for less time in the same or a lesser rank.

Wegner said that if proper attention is not paid to faculty members who have considered leaving or who have been recruited, UNC runs the risk of compromising the quality of education it offers.

"I hope we're going to have some concrete improvements," she said. "And attention paid to the people who want to stay here."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.