Those in favor of N.C. Senate Bill 575 say it will streamline the UNC-system bureaucracy. By removing the usual protections afforded to government workers from UNC’s employees, proponents of the bill say it would allow for more “flexibility” and improve the operations of the state’s public universities.
When one considers the word efficiency more carefully, however, it becomes clear that this is a totally specious argument.
The costs of alienating workers are far greater than the benefits of a leaner bureaucracy — especially when many of the workers in question are already wary of the institution that employs them.
No one is opposed to efficiency, and no one likes bloated bureaucracies. But the so-called bureaucracy that provides workers with protection from wrongful termination and harsh workplace conditions is hardly fluff.
Given UNC’s long record of complaints from its housekeepers, we really can’t afford to be cavalier about workers’ rights. SB 575 would do far more harm than good to productivity and efficiency in the UNC system.
If the bill is passed, the UNC-system Board of Governors will effectively have sole authority to set the parameters of employment for UNC workers.
We have no reason to believe the current Board of Governors would err from the guidelines UNC-system President Thomas Ross has offered as a supplement to SB 575.
But many questions remain about how the legislation would play out in the future. There’s no legal guarantee that Ross’ guidelines would be followed after new members are appointed to the Board of Governors and Ross’ tenure is up.
SB 575 has been framed by its supporters as a cost-saving provision. Some might even call it innovative. In actuality, however, it is short-sighted and rife with contradiction.
