On your mark, get set, START!

By Alison Hewitt

UC officials hope employees will succumb to the allure of taking time off of work to enroll in a class, see more of their families or write a novel under the soon-to-begin START program.

The Staff and Academic Reduction in Time (START) Program, designed to entice staff to reduce their hours and pay so UCLA can save money on salaries, has gained final approval and will take effect July 1.

START seeks to encourage qualifying staff and some academic appointees to temporarily cut their hours from 10-50%. In exchange for helping UCLA save money, START participants continue to accrue benefits as though they had never trimmed their hours. That means vacation time, sick time, and retirement credits are earned just as fast as before.

The UC system enacted START once before when the budget was tight from 2003-2006. UCLA saved $6.4 million when 478 employees volunteered to reduce their hours by an average of 20-25%. With the time off, staff did everything from reconnect to their families to getting new degrees — and in at least one case, to write a book. Many departments reported that the savings helped them avoid layoffs, said Lubbe Levin, associate vice chancellor of Campus Human Resources.

Who is eligible?

UCLA staff and academics such as librarians or researchers are eligible to reduce their time, though faculty, hospital employees and probationary employees are not. Employees must cut their hours by at least 10% to qualify, but continue working at least half-time.

Eligible employees must also get approval from their department head to participate. Represented employees also need approval from their union. So far, the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union has signed off on the participation of the Technical, Staff Research Support and Healthcare Professional bargaining units.

The program is slated to end on June 30, 2010. Employees can sign up to reduce their hours for as little as a month or for the entire two years.

More information about program eligibility, and how to apply, is available online, and START Program materials are available at the Campus Human Resources site.