A word to classified staff of UNLV

On behalf of the faculty of UNLV, the Faculty Alliance extends its support and encouragement to classified staff who learned (from news reports) on Monday night that they will be subject to an involuntary furlough equivalent to 4.6% of salary in the coming biennium as well as loss of opportunity for all pay increases during that period.

While we at NFA will be most actively involved in the next few days and weeks in the issue of whether there will be furloughs, pay cuts or terminations of faculty and professional staff, it is important to note the sadness and unfairness of cutting classified staff pay. These are the lowest paid workers on campus and in so many ways, classified staff make UNLV run -- and yet they have the least protection of their compensation and job security.

The NFA is proud, honored and grateful to have been working this spring closely with the advocates for the classified staff -- AFSCME local 4041 -- on preservation of our common health care program and related issues such as retirement benefit.

All faculty value tremendously the work of our classified colleagues and offer our moral support and continued political collaboration in trying to mitigate the impact of the state's cuts.