Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1952 [PAGE 401]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

498

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[December 28

"6. Any enterprise in which explosive materials are manufactured, handled or used in dangerous quantities. " 7 . In any enterprise wherein molten metal, or explosive or injurious gases or vapors, or inflammable vapors or fluids, or corrosive acids are manufactured, used, generated, stored or conveyed in dangerous quantities. "7%. Any enterprise in which sharpedged cutting tools, grinders or implements are used, including all enterprises which buy, sell or handle junk and salvage, demolish or reconstruct machinery, except as provided in sub-paragraph 8 of this section. " 8 . In any enterprise in which statutory or municipal ordinance regulations are now or shall hereafter be imposed for the regulating, guarding, use or the placing of machinery or appliances or for the protection and safe-guarding of the employees or t h e public therein; each of which occupations, enterprises or businesses are hereby declared to be extra hazardous: Provided, nothing contained herein shall be construed to apply to any work, employment or operations done, had or conducted by • farmers and others engaged in farming,* tillage of the soil, or stock raising, or to those who rent, demise or lease land for any such purposes, or to any one in their employ or to any work done on a farm or country place, no matter what kind of work or service is being done or rendered. "9. Any enterprise, business or work in connection with t h e laying out or improvement of subdivision of tracts of land. "10. Any enterprise for the treatment of cross-ties, switch-ties, telegraph poles, timber or other wood with creosote or other preservatives." * Only applies when less than 5 employees. T h e Committee on Accident Compensation for employees is finding it increasingly difficult to follow and apply fairly this differentiation in the treatment of accident cases. Strictly the entire teaching, administrative, and research staff of the University would be excluded from any compensation for accidents, even though they arose "out of and in the course of employment" (as required by the Act) unless t h e individual at the time of the accident was actually engaged in extra-hazardous work as specifically defined in the Act. Definition of "extra-hazardous" as is stated in the Act is not readily applicable to the University. The University is t h e only educational institution or department of the state that is so restricted. The growth of the activities of the University, particularly in the field of research and statewide service, is resulting in situations which would make the Act inequitable to staff members in many instances if strictly applied. T h e Committee recommends t h a t legislation be sought which will remove t h e above-described restriction, thus making t h e provisions of the Act applicable to any person in the employ of the University of Illinois, as to any accidents arising "out of and in the course of" their employment. I concur and request authority to prepare and endeavor to secure such legislation.

On motion of Mr. Hickman, authority was granted as recommended.

CHANGES IN UNIVERSITY CIVIL SERVICE LAW (26) T h e University Civil Service Law, represented by an amendment of the general State Civil Service Law approved in 1941, provides that there be a separate Civil Service of the University administered by t h e Board of Trustees, acting in the capacity of Civil Service Commission. While in general t h e operations of the new law have been satisfactory, there have been some difficulties and some objections in principle to the fact t h a t civil service responsibilities are placed upon the identical body which is in charge of employment and direction of employees. In t h e last session of the General Assembly, a bill was introduced and received serious consideration which would have set up a University Civil Service Commission entirely independent of the Board of Trustees. The Director of Nonacademic Personnel and the Comptroller, after discussion with both t h e Urbana-Champaign and the Chicago Nonacademic Advisory Committees, recommend t h a t the University take the initiative in securing a change in t h e present law which will provide for a University Civil Service Commission of Illinois, members of which should be appointed by the governing boards of the institutions covered. Meanwhile, the other five state-supported institutions of higher education in Illinois have become actively interested in the possibility of transferring their nonacademic employees to the University Civil Service System, thus providing a single higher education civil service system in Illinois. The Presidents and Business Mana-