Unpaid Administrative Closure

As per the SIU Board of Trustees’ revised administrative closure policy (2 POLICIES OF THE BOARD C.3.b.4) amended 9/16/2010, the following policy will be utilized by the SIU Carbondale campus (excluding the School of Medicine, and non-resident aliens employed under H1-B visas) in the event that an unpaid administrative closure is deemed necessary.

1. Upon determination of the need for an unpaid administrative closure for the Carbondale campus (excluding the School of Medicine) the Chancellor will seek authorization from the President to declare such a closure.
2. In addition to the rationale used to determine the need for an unpaid administrative closure, the Chancellor will provide to the President the following information as part of the authorization request:

   1. The actual dates proposed for the closure and the estimated cost savings for those dates.

   2. An explanation of any potential impact on the campus academic calendar.

3. After discussions with campus constituency groups and with collective bargaining units in order to comply with any and all state and federal statutes, or specific provisions of current collective bargaining agreements, the Chancellor (or designee) will provide the appropriate notice to all affected personnel on the Carbondale campus, notifying the employees of the beginning and ending date(s) for each declared closure day.
4. For the purposes of this procedure, all employees are subject to any declared unpaid administrative closure day(s), unless the employee has been designated as an essential employee. Essential employees are the employees that are deemed critical to protect University property and research, and operate central physical plant functions during a period of administrative closure. Essential Employees will be required to take an alternative unpaid day(s). Department Heads for any campus department that will require essential personnel to work the closure day(s) will be responsible for:

   1. Obtaining approval from their respective Vice Chancellor (or equivalent authority) for employees who are considered essential personnel and required to work the closure day(s).

   2.  Providing written notification to the employee(s) required to work; and

   3. Arranging an alternative unpaid day(s) with those personnel required to work the closure day(s).

5. The following provisions will apply to employees of the Carbondale campus (excluding the School of Medicine) for any unpaid administrative closure:

   1. Employees Not Required to Work: Employees regularly scheduled to work but not required to work during the unpaid closure will receive no pay for the closure. An employee who normally works other than a Monday-through-Friday schedule and who consequently is not scheduled to work on an unpaid closure day will be required to take an alternative day off without pay that is subject to the approval of his or her immediate supervisor.

   2. Employees Required to Work: Employees regularly scheduled to work and required to work during the unpaid closure will receive compensation at their regular rates of pay for the hours worked. Employees required to work on an unpaid closure day must take an alternative day off without pay that is subject to the approval of his or her immediate supervisor.

   3. Overtime Pay for Required Work: Employees not regularly scheduled to work who are required to work on an overtime basis during the unpaid closure will be compensated at one and one-half (1½) times their regular rates of pay for the hours worked or be given compensatory time off in accordance with university policy or their respective collective bargaining agreements.

   4. Use of Accrued Benefit Time: Employees will not be allowed to use accrued benefit time or compensatory time on unpaid closure days.

   5. Effect of Unpaid Administrative Closure Days on Benefits:

      1. Unpaid closure days will not affect an employee’s health insurance.
      2. Employees who are participants of SURS will be allowed to voluntarily make contributions on lost SURS eligible compensation under the terms of 40 ILCS 5/15-113.11 resulting from the unpaid closure days.
      3. Vacation and sick leave accruals will not be affected by unpaid closure days.

   6. Notification: Employees will be notified as soon as the need for a closure is determined, but no less than two weeks in advance of the date of the closure.

   7. Essential Personnel / Employees Exempt from Overtime: Employees may not report to work on an unpaid closure day unless specifically required to do so by their Department Head as essential personnel. Supervisors of employees that are exempt from overtime as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act must ensure that exempt employees do not perform work for the University on the unpaid closure day(s), and do not work in excess of 30 hours in that same week.

   8. Limitations on Unpaid Closure Days: Unpaid closure days will be limited to no more than 1 day per bi-weekly pay period, or two days per month; but not to exceed six days in a fiscal year.

   9. Student Employees and Graduate Assistants: Student employees who are scheduled to work but are not required to report during the closure will not be paid; however, supervisors will rearrange work schedules when possible so that the affected student employees will be able to make up the work time lost. Graduate Assistants who are scheduled to work but not required to work, will receive their regular pay, but will be required to make up the work hours missed due to the closure day.

   10. H1-B Visa Employees: Federal law requires that non-residential aliens employed on an H1-B visa be exempted from reductions in pay. Therefore, employees on an H1-B visa will be paid for the closure day.