Where’s the goat?

11/4/2013 goat update: “Other professional services.” You gotta love OSU. From their Oregon Transparency expenditure report:

11/3/13: UO Goat Wranglers report – raises and retroactive payments will be in the Nov and Jan paychecks: (from the admin fact-check site):

Implementing the salary provisions of the contract is one of the highest priorities. There are four components to the FY2013 and FY2014 salary package for eligible bargaining unit members:

Across the board increases (retroactive to FY2013 and current for FY2014)
Merit increases
Increases upon promotion
One-time $350 bonus

While it may seem like it would be easy to implement across-the-board and one-time bonuses, there are several steps that need to take place to ensure that this is done accurately. Initial spreadsheets must be created that individually identify every employee, their start date and FTE, whether they are eligible for the increase, and the impact of the increase on their total base pay. These spreadsheets are created centrally, then sent to schools, colleges and other participating units for review.

Following that review Unclassified Personnel Services, in collaboration with Academic Affairs, conducts a final review for accuracy before the information is sent to payroll. Payroll must then enter the information into the payroll system, calculate retroactive back-pay, and process end-of-month paychecks. In case any company fails to maintain an updated payroll, they might have a hard time when it comes to filing tax documents. Keeping track of things like tax-resolution-services-payroll-tax-problems etc., at timely intervals, would do good in the long run, and might even help businesses stay away from the unnecessary complications. At this time, however, we believe we can get the FY2013 1.5 percent across-the-board increase (retroactive to Jan 1, 2013) and the one-time bonus in paychecks at the end of November.

Implementing the FY2014 merit increases presents an even more challenging timeline if we are going to meet our current goal of completing the process in time for the January 31, 2014 payroll. The University [sic] and the Union have agreed to an abbreviated merit criteria review process, pursuant to which each department and unit must provide an opportunity for faculty to review the criteria they will utilize for the FY2014 merit increase and to provide feedback, which may be solicited at a faculty meeting to which all faculty are invited. The department and other unit heads, deans, and the provost must give serious consideration to that feedback in determining the merit review process and increases.

Notes about the salary increases:

(1) The contract includes another 3.5 percent merit pool for FY15. Prior to implementing that increase, all schools, colleges and other participating units will be required to review their merit salary increase policies.
(2) The pools for FY2014 and FY2015 merit raises for tenured and tenure-track faculty will be separate from the pools for non-tenure-track faculty.
(3) The merit salary review process in each year will include all of the years since the last merit review prior to the ratification of the CBA.
(4) Salary increases for funding-contingent positions, which are primarily grant-funded positions, present special challenges when the grants did not anticipate increased compensation expenses. The University and the Union will be exploring best strategies to address these circumstances.

11/1/2013: The $350 Goat Bonus was missing from yesterday’s paycheck. I’m no agricultural economist, but it’s a supply problem. Lane County’s goat population is only 3716. Giving a goat to every one of UO’s 1900 bargaining unit members would severely deplete the breeding stock. It’s bad enough that “the well is dry”. We can’t afford to let the goats go barren too. Word is that UO has hired a crack team of goat wranglers to bring a herd up from more fecund regions of Texas. Should be here by the end of the month, if the coyotes don’t get them.