We have submitted our final budget to the President and received good news that FM will be receiving some stimulus funding. Vice President O’Brien and I will be meeting with you during the week of July 13 to explain our budget and the resulting changes. Because our fiscal year begins July1 we will begin implementing those changes next week.
FM will receive approximately $2.25 million in stimulus funding. These one time funds will help ease our transition from our current workforce numbers to our smaller structure. Here’s how it will work.
Custodial
We will proceed with our custodial re-bidding next week as we take our base staffing level from 522 to 459. Without the stimulus funds we would have needed to layoff up to 23 custodians. These one-time dollars give us a several month window where we will have staff tackle special projects like installing energy efficient light bulbs throughout campus. As openings occur on our base level crews, B&G workers on the stimulus crew will have the opportunity to fill the positions based on master seniority.
Maintenance
We have reviewed our Preventative Maintenance program to determine which PM’s can be reduced, which can be delayed and which can be eliminated. Based on this analysis we will be adjusting District Team staffing levels. Some Trades staff will be moving to FM Service/U Construction. We will be using stimulus dollars to stabilize this unit and are committed to maintaining staffing levels at least through the summer. In addition to stimulus funds, we are building back FM Service/U Construction to take on more projects that can be funded by colleges, HEAPR and R&R dollars.
We have used our hiring pause, RIO and voluntary severance programs to reduce the number of layoffs and these stimulus dollars will make the transition easier. I wanted to thank you for continuing to provide excellent service to the University community during these uncertain times. I look forward to talking with you in July.
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