Faculty Executive Committee discusses changes to background checks and salaries

The Faculty Executive Committee met Monday to discuss plans for hiring and salary reform. 

Background checks

Committee members met with representatives from the Human Resources department to talk about changes to the criminal background check process.  

Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Linc Butler said the current background checks are conducted every time a person is hired by the University, and the background checks review previous addresses and employment through age 18. He said fixed term faculty have to undergo a background check each time their contract is reviewed.

“We have to find a better way of doing this,” Butler said. “Not only a check that ensures the safety and security of the University, but at the same time is fiscally responsible.”

The committee said the occurrence of background checks could change to every five to seven years and lessen in intensity. Secretary of the Faculty Vin Steponaitis said he felt the current system got in the way of faculty doing their jobs.

“Just this calendar year, we had two instances where one person in the space of two months had to have two criminal background checks with no break in service,” he said.

Steponaitis said the ambiguity surrounding the policies prevents employees from bringing their concerns to human resources.

“The people working with it have no idea where the policy originates," he said. "They don’t know who to approach and maybe they feel that if they approach someone about it, it will reflect poorly on them."

Fair Labor Standards Act

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a federal law that sets guidelines for employee pay and treatment. Currently, employees who make more than $455 a week, or $23,600 annually, are required to be paid by salary. Employees who make less are paid in wages and collect overtime pay for working more than 40 hours a week.

Butler said the Department of Labor has raised the threshold for being a salary employee to $47,476 annually, which will affect 135 UNC employees.

“They will no longer be a salaried employee," Butler said. "They’ll have to track hours and will be eligible for time-and-a-half overtime."

Butler said UNC has spent $2.6 million raising post-doctoral researchers' pay to keep them qualified as salaried employees, which will not require them to track hours, but will not allow them to collect overtime. He said there are exceptions for attorneys and teachers, so they can receive time and a half.

“The cost of leaving them non-exempt was going to be way higher,” he said.

Butler said employees now on wage will have to complete training for the Time Information Management software that UNC uses to track employee work hours. The committee also talked about the potential negative effects facing employees, such as employers forcing employees not to work overtime.

The changes to the FLSA will go into effect Dec. 1. 

“I don’t think there’s a question to whether or not this is a good thing — it is a good thing,” Butler said.

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