Pigs at the Public Trough
By Donald K. Wedding
 Yesterday,
August, 24, 2009, the UT Board of Trustees Financial Affairs Committee
approved a policy for mandatory furloughs of employees including
faculty.
The President of the University of Toledo is
authorized to implement mandatory furloughs for employees, including
faculty, when he determines such are necessary to achieve spending
reductions because of budget deficits.
Whether or not such a policy can be
legally implemented without violating union contracts remains to be seen.
During
the last several months the UT Administration has been terminating
employees and asking for furlough days and other give-backs.
Meanwhile, unknown to most, many high level Administrators' contracts
contain provisions for large bonuses in addition to regular salaries. The
following bonuses were recently paid:
The above does not include bonuses approved or paid to President Jacobs including a bonus of
$150,000.
How many other
bonuses have high level administrators received in the past year?
Many of these bonuses and extra compensation exceed the total annual salaries of
individual employees being furloughed or terminated. There has been no indication
that the Administration is asking for give-backs from themselves or is
renegotiating future bonuses or extra compensation for themselves.
There is a serious ethical question, if not a legal one, as to whether or not a public
institution supported by Ohio taxpayers should be distributing large bonuses
and extra compensation to Administrators, especially while other employees are
being furloughed or terminated.
These
Administrators are feeding non-stop at the public trough while Ohio citizens
and taxpayers struggle to pay their bills, keep their homes, and feed their
families. UT employees are regularly asked to "do more with
less." However, greedy UT Administrators do less with more.
The UT Administration is behaving like "Pigs at the Public
Trough".
A copy of this article will be sent to the Ohio Governor, Ohio Legislature, and
other public officials. The UT-AAUP invites your support. Write, call, and email your elected officials.
"It is my intent and
desire to include everyone. I believe we're are all in this together" Lloyd Jacobs, Toledo Blade, August 25, 2009
For the Contact Information of Your Elected Officials Visit:
Governor of Ohio Web Site
Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio Senate
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