Be an Advocate for Women’s Equity in Higher Education: Part 2

Part 2 with names changed...

According to a University of Wisconsin Press Release, the definition of LTE appointments is for UW System campus units to carry out short term or seasonal work. One LTE position is limited to no more than 1,043 hours, or six months, of full-time work per year. However, an individual may hold one or two LTE positions, resulting in ongoing part-time or full-time work.

Our University currently has 144 limited term employees, according to our Human Resources representative, who also says that about fifty percent of these LTEs have two positions, meaning the number of LTE positions is likely around 200. This constitutes about 27 percent of all University staff (classified staff and LTEs), or 13 percent of all University employees.

Many in “limited term” positions are working long term without receiving the benefits that permanent state employees receive. In a May 2009 survey of xxxx’s LTEs, 24% reported working less than a year, 22% reported 1-2 years, 14% reported 3-4 years, 11% reported 5-6 years, and 29% reported six years or more. The average length of “limited term” employment was 11.6 years.

Survey respondents represented a variety of positions, such as custodial, clerical, police, early childhood education, marketing, communications, event planning, and technology support. In addition, 84% were female (72% of all current LTEs at our University are female), 26% reported they are the sole provider for their families, and 59% had a baccalaureate degree or higher.

LTEs qualify for minimal benefits, depending on how many positions they have and the number of hours they work. LTEs qualify for the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) when they are expected to work at least 600 hours within a 12-month period. Once eligible for WRS, LTEs become eligible for health insurance coverage, and have the option of paying the full premiums for a variety of other benefits, such as supplemental dental and income continuation insurance. Some of these benefits are explained below.

LTEs are paid a minimum of 20% less than permanent workers for doing the same work. According to the LTE Handbook, LTEs start at 20% less than the minimum rate for the Civil Service position classification, with wage increases up to the minimum rate for that Civil Service position classification. This minimum rate is the most an LTE can ever earn, while a permanent employee in the same position classification can earn up to the maximum rate plus receive wage increases as negotiated by union contracts.

To become a permanent state employee, I had to interview and compete with others, including permanent state employees, for the position I had worked in for three years. My wages increased $5.51 per hour—over $200 more per week—for doing the same work, along with annual wage increases as negotiated by union contracts, vacation, sick leave, personal and legal holidays. However, in some ways, my LTE service doesn’t count. An employee’s seniority date is the original date of employment as a permanent employee. Although I’ve worked for the University for five years (3 years LTE and 2 years permanent), I earn vacation benefits at the rate of a two year employee—a difference that amounts to 32 hours/year of vacation time.

Treatment of LTEs, in terms of wages and performance, varies widely. Thirty-seven percent of survey respondents indicated they receive annual performance evaluations from their managers, and 41 percent indicated they do not; 21 percent indicated they receive annual wage increases, and 45 percent indicated they do not. In my three years as an LTE, I was given annual performance reviews and received two fifty cent raises.

In this difficult time of budget cuts, the workload only increases without any reward for limited term employees. One person wrote on the survey, “My boss has continued to give me more on my plate, and I have kept up with his demands. All the while staying at the same pay for 6 years.” Another wrote, “I've worked as an LTE for 9 years now. What does LTE stand for? Limited Term Employee. They are taking advantage of LTEs by not giving them vacation, sick days, paid holidays and personal days.”

One LTE wrote, “I think it's hard for a university to state it's concerned about equity when they essentially create second-class citizens within its own workforce…being an LTE can make you feel worthless; no matter what you do, or how well you do your job, there are no promotions or rewards…Your heart breaks when you resent your child for being sick, because it's another day without pay.”

(Un)limited Term: Same Work as Permanent State Employees, With Low Wages and Few Benefits

Here is an excerpt from the first part of an article I'm working on. I've omitted references to the name of the state agency that I'm talking about.

We’ve all heard the myth about the lush benefits of state employees, but limited term employees do the same work as permanent state employees, for less money and few benefits. In the economic downtown and the state budget crisis, limited term employees are the most vulnerable.

In 2005, my 60-year-old mother suddenly suffered a massive stroke that resulted in a four month hospital stay. Although I had worked full-time for the University for three years, I had no vacation or sick time. After emergency brain surgery, my mom remained in a Critical Care Unit for two weeks. Luckily, my department showed its generous support by taking up a collection, which helped make my mortgage payment while I took time off to be with my mom. I had no vacation or sick time because I was classified as a limited term employee (LTE).

According to a University of Wisconsin Press Release (http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/12948 ), the purpose of LTE appointments is for campus units to carry out short term or seasonal work. LTEs are limited to no more than 1,043 hours, or six months of full-time work, per year. However, an individual may hold two LTE positions, resulting in ongoing full-time work.

It is commonly known within the realm of state employment that many individuals have been working in one or more LTE positions over long periods without becoming permanent, full time equivalency (FTE) employees, and without receiving the wages and benefits that accompany permanent state employment. In a recent survey of the University's 141 limited term employees, 76% of the 69 respondents indicated that they were limited term employees for a year or more, with 27% reporting six years or more as limited term employees. The average length of LTE employment was 11.6 years. Respondents were from a variety of University departments, including custodial, childcare, clerical, technology support, recreation, marketing, and more.

Those working two LTE positions, or full-time, are eligible for health insurance, dental insurance, and retirement savings. Those who are working only one LTE position, part-time, must pay half the premiums out of pocket. LTEs, no matter how many years they have worked for the state, get no vacation, sick time, personal or legal holidays, or any other benefits that permanent state employees receive. LTEs cannot participate in University committees or governance, nor are they eligible for grants, scholarships, or professional development funds, such as those available to permanent, University classified staff. LTEs have no job security, and under state law, they are prohibited from collective bargaining (http://slac.rso.wisc.edu/isthmus-june22-2001.html )

LTEs are generally paid less than permanent full time workers, even if they do the same work. Sixty five percent of survey respondents said they earned less than $20,000 per year before taxes, and 26% reported they are the sole provider for their families. In addition to low wages, 84% of survey respondents were female. And despite their low wages and few benefits, limited term workers are highly educated: 58% had a four year college degree or higher.

When I went through the confounding process of transitioning from a limited term employee to a permanent state employee (my job was advertised publicly and I had to interview and compete with others, including current state employees, for the position I had worked in for three years), I gained an almost $5 per hour wage increase for doing the same work. I also gained union representation, annual wage increases as negotiated by union contracts, sick time, vacation, paid holidays, personal days, and more...