Day 49

Since just about the time that the country went into financial meltdown--let's say, summer '08 or so--my boss has been grouchy, unapproachable, terse, and even bordering on verbally hostile at times. During my first year or so here, she would come by at least once a week to chat, check in, and give me pat on the back, which is something she would do with the entire staff. We could all hear her characteristic laugh throughout the office often enough to feel comforted. We had staff parties every once in a while (not to belabor the silly point), and she would bring us lemons from the tree in her yard. Now that we are all stressed, worried about our personal finance, and thinking we might be jobless by this time next year, we need her encouragement more than ever. But now I hardly ever speak with her, and it's likely better that way since those who do seem to be lambasted about something or other. I asked my office mate how many times in the past year our boss has come into our space with something positive to say, or even just to socialize for a moment or two like in the good old days. I miss when she used to come in just to grumble out of empathetic camaraderie about the bumbling faculty (no offense to my lovely professorial readers, who I am sure never bumble with the staff given the fact they are even bothering with this blog). I told my office mate that I would appreciate it if our fearless leader took the time to have a personal conversation with me to acknowledge the difficulties of our salary situations, and thank me for sticking with the department anyway. My office mate said she would appreciate it if we could be let out at three some Friday afternoon just for the hell of it. Amen, sister.

Today, I found language that I like in a press release/call-to-action put out by a faculty (?) group at UCSB (I found the document through Chris Newfield's blog "Remaking the University"). This letter, which is essentially a recommendation to censure Yudoff, includes the assertion that the emergency powers granted to UCOP allow the administration to "circumvent financial obligations to faculty, staff, and students." I hadn't thought of it exactly this way, but what a great perspective. I have an official letter from my department given to me on my day of hire that outlines the terms of my hire, which include my salary. Seems to me like that letter is something of a contract. A financial contract that the university has now violated without my express written consent, outside of the fact that I have now signed my September time sheet effectively agreeing to my pay cut. Why can't they just tell our vendors, creditors, and utility companies that they're going to be put on a 6% furlough, too? Of course I understand the highly-flawed logic there, but at the root of it, what's the real difference between violating my contract and the contract the university has to pay its electric bill--in full--each and every month? I wonder if we will see lawsuits crop up before the end of this.

One of my job responsibilities includes processing a large volume of incoming mail over a short period of time from about November through January. This means that two weeks of mail will pile-up and remain unopened, unprocessed, and unacknowledged for at least two weeks during the mandatory furlough we have at Berkeley over the holidays. I don't really want to think about the heap that will be at my feet after the break. Another concern with this is of course Campus Mail Services, and whether the university will even be receiving or processing mail at all during that time. Imagine the heap of mail at THEIR feet at the end of the break. Well today we received a short survey from Mail Services to help them determine whether the campus needs them open during break, and how many people they should have on the clock during those weeks. Someone will have to be physically present in the offices that want mail delivered over the break, and no one will be in my office, so I guess that means we are out. Unless, of course, the union makes some sort of convoluted agreement with the university that forces union workers to be here during furlough. Yeah, I can see how that could work: I'll just have our receptionist do my job while I'm out, and then I will hardly have any catching up to do when I return. Perfect!