Employee group threatens lawsuit over layoffs at ITS

A state employees association is threatening legal action against the University in response to announced layoffs in the Information Technology Services department.

The current layoffs will affect a total of 15 employees in the department Larry Conrad vice chancellor for information technology stated in an e-mail Sunday.

Three ITS senior management positions have already been eliminated and 12 staff layoffs across the department are under way.

On Thursday Dana Cope the executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina" sent a letter to UNC-system President Erskine Bowles claiming that these layoffs violate the State Personnel Act.

 The act mandates that employees can only be let go ""whenever it is necessary due to shortage of funds or work.""

Cope argued that since the state's budget has not been finalized" there is not yet a shortage of money — though a shortfall is expected.

Bowles responded Friday" claiming that in these ""extraordinary times" conducting layoffs now is appropriate and prudent and that such actions were in compliance with current laws.

Bowles cautioned Cope on the dangers of waiting until the state budget is ratified to make such cuts.

Waiting would only increase the number of staff that would need to be laid off Bowles said.

But Cope reiterated Sunday to The Daily Tar Heel his belief that the layoffs under way are illegal.

We are looking into possible legal action to the stop the University from continuing the layoffs" he said, threatening a court injunction.

The cuts at ITS — which amount to about 3.5 percent of the department's total workforce — will begin in June, giving those affected 90 days notice.

Conrad noted that ITS had already mothballed"" the vast majority of its future projects because of an earlier one-time cut. He said more drastic action was necessary for the recurring cuts the department will face.

UNC administrators have ordered a 7 percent cut in this year's budget" considered one-time meaning for this year only. Chancellor Holden Thorp ordered a 5 percent reduction in recurring spending last week which would remain in future budgets.

One-time cuts can be met with almost any decrease in spending. Recurring or permanent cuts require the elimination of a permanent source of funding such as a staff position.

Employee Forum Vice Chairwoman Brenda Denzler said the forum was surprised by the layoffs. University administrators had said they would not know what action would be necessary before April 15" she said.

""Some of us at the forum are scratching our heads and wondering what caused this sudden change of approach by the administration"" Denzler stated in an e-mail.

Students also worried about how these reductions would affect the quality of service ITS provides.

Ching Wei, who works part-time at ITS labs around campus, expressed concern over how the layoffs might effect the department's ability to quickly respond to program issues, such as the Pharos printing software and Student Central.

People are already freaking out when a program is down and it takes a long time to get them back up and running" so I think if they laid off people the problem could get worse Wei said. People expect the programs to work and if they don't" people are basically screwed.""



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.