Reappointment for Faculty on Layoff

Pursuant to Wis. Stat. sec. 36.22(13), each UW institution shall establish administrative procedures and policies to ensure that where faculty layoffs or terminations occur due to a budget or program decision requiring a program change, no person may be employed at that institution within 3 years to perform reasonably comparable duties to those of the faculty member laid off without first offering the laid off faculty member reappointment without loss of seniority and other rights. The 3-year period shall be computed from the effective date of layoff as specified in the original notice. 

It is UWM’s policy, pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 36.22(13), to ensure that no person is employed to perform reasonably comparable duties to those of any faculty member laid off within three years of any faculty layoff without first offering reappointment to affected faculty on layoff. 

Layoff, under Wis. Stat. sec. 36.22(1), means an indefinite suspension or involuntary reduction in services and compensation of a faculty member’s employment by the system. 

1. If UWM has laid off faculty within the prior three years, academic departments seeking to hire new tenure-track or tenured faculty must receive advanced approval, in addition to the standard hiring approval process, before initiating any faculty recruitment to determine whether any laid off faculty have a right of reappointment to such a faculty position. 
2. The dean must indicate whether the duties for the proposed position are “reasonably comparable duties” to any faculty position from which a faculty member was laid off. If not, the dean must indicate how the duties are different than the duties for any faculty on layoff.  
3. If the dean determines that the duties are reasonably comparable, the dean will provide their determination to the Provost. The Provost or designee will review the dean’s determination and make the final determination. 
4. If the Provost or designee determines that the duties of the proposed position are reasonably comparable to the duties of any faculty on layoff, the Provost will work with Human Resources to offer the position to laid off faculty according to the applicable seniority determination under UWM Faculty Policies and Procedures § 5.68. 
5. If the dean determines that the duties are not reasonably comparable to any faculty on layoff, the dean will provide their determination to the Provost. The Provost or designee will review the dean’s determination and make the final determination, after consultation with the University Committee. 
6. If the Provost or designee determines that the duties of the proposed position are not reasonably comparable to the duties of any faculty on layoff, the Provost will work with the Chief Human Resources Officer or designee to notify any faculty on layoff of the determination that the position will not be offered to faculty on layoff. 
7. In the case of a position that is approved for recruitment, faculty on layoff will be provided the opportunity to apply for the position through UWM’s Priority Referral Program.