Monday, June 6, 2016

President Huddleston emailed the following letter to UNH staff on June 6, 2016. 

UNH President Mark Huddleston
President Huddleston

Dear Colleagues,  

I received notification last Thursday that the National Education Association (NEA) is in the process of attempting to organize the university’s non-academic staff. This effort would potentially affect members of the operating staff (OS) and the professional, administrative and technical (PAT) staff.  

Our colleagues have experienced many changes in recent years, including an increased portion of annual salary growth based on performance, a separation incentive plan (SIP), and a structural transformation of many administrative organizations and business practices. All of these efforts have advanced the university’s ability to strengthen academic excellence, attract the best and brightest students, enhance the UNH experience and ensure the highest possible return on investment in our most precious resource, the employees who make UNH a world-class institution.  

Still more change is on the horizon. Nearly 70 of our colleagues will retire by July 1. The US Department of Labor has announced updates to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), effective December 1, that will affect some employees at UNH. Organizational changes will continue as we adapt to new ways of recruiting students, reconfigure work assignments due to retirements, provide enhanced student career services, and optimize the use of new technologies.  

I recognize that change can be unsettling, especially within a culture that has sometimes been slow in adjusting to market forces. But change also presents extraordinary opportunities for growth as we update and improve the ways that we conduct our business.  

I believe that each of you shares my vision to make UNH an employer of choice. To that end, I encourage you to talk with your managers, leadership teams and other colleagues about how you and they are adjusting to changes in our workplace. Please consider, together with your managers, how these changes help us to achieve our mission while also providing new opportunities for staff. Human Resources will continue its conversations with the OS and PAT staff councils to ensure that all employees have accurate information about current changes and potential ones. This open dialogue will be critical as they make informed decisions about the potential of a third party (in this case, the NEA) becoming the sole voice of UNH’s staff.    

Sincerely,  

 

Mark Huddleston

President