UC Proposes Revised Family Friendly Policies

UC is proposing revisions to family leave policies for all non-exclusively represented academic employees and welcomes comments on the changes by Tuesday, May 24. In July 1988, the University of California implemented childbearing and childrearing leave policies for academic employees. These policies were revised in 1998 and 1999. Over the past few years, UC officials and faculty have wanted to improve the University's family friendly policies even further. Proposed revisions have been made to APM - 760 (Family Accommodations for Childbearing and Childrearing); APM - 133-17-h through -j (Computation of Years of Service); APM - 210-1-c(4) (Instructions to Review Committees Which Advise on Actions Concerning Appointees in the Professor and Corresponding Series); and APM - 220-10, -16-c, 16-d, -18-b, and new Appendix B (Professor Series). The proposed revised policies would apply to all non-exclusively represented academic employees. The proposed policies that would be covered by these APM sections are available on the Web. Those who do not have access to this website, can call Marie de Souza at 415/476-4574 to request a copy. To comment on the proposed policies, please send comments to Associate Vice Chancellor Sally Marshall at Box 0401 or via email by Tuesday, May 24, 2005. Major changes to these policies include: • APM - 760 identifies the types of family accommodations available for childbearing and childrearing purposes. • Clarify that all eligible faculty members are entitled to stop the tenure clock for up to one year during the probationary period for each event of birth or placement for adoption or foster care; provided that all time off the tenure clock totals no more than two years in the probationary period. • Provide general campus academic appointees who are birth mothers an additional quarter (or semester) of active service-modified duties to enable a full recovery from the effects of pregnancy and childbirth. Specify that at minimum, health sciences faculty are eligible for a total period of active service-modified duties and childbearing leave of up to one quarter (or one semester). Provide that for health sciences faculty members who are birth mothers an additional quarter (or semester) of active service-modified duties to enable a full recovery from the effects of pregnancy and childbirth may be approved in accordance with campus policies. • Specify that personnel reviews that are deferred due to a faculty member's family accommodations as defined in APM - 760 should be treated procedurally in the same manner as personnel reviews conducted at the normal period of service and shall be evaluated without prejudice. • Leave in place current policy which states that advancement of part-time appointees in the Professorial series shall depend on quality of performance at a level of distinction comparable to that demanded of full-time appointees although, when circumstances warrant, a lesser rate of scholarly accomplishment will be acceptable. Amend current policy to allow for an extended time frame for advancement of all part-time appointees in this series. • Provide guidelines in an appendix to APM - 220 regarding review and evaluation of appointees in the Professorial series with a temporary reduction in percentage of time of a full-time appointment or a permanent part-time appointment. • Specify that active service-modified duties for faculty shall be without the assignment of additional teaching duties in the previous or subsequent quarter or semester to offset the teaching relief. Clarify that during a period of active service-modified duties, health sciences faculty with clinical responsibilities may have clinical duties reduced in lieu of teaching relief.