By Gregg Brekke, Presbyterian News Service.
Twenty-six of 46 eligible employees of the Presbyterian Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church (USA) have taken voluntary separation packages as part of cost-savings measures instituted earlier this spring. The program, announced Jan. 7, was offered to PMA staff members at least 60 years of age with at least five years of continuous service at the PCUSA as of Dec. 31, 2015. The deadline for participation was Feb. 29.
In an email to staff Feb. 26, De La Rosa said, “we gladly and gratefully honor the commitment of our colleagues who have served Christ’s church faithfully and well,” adding there are concerns in the organization about the loss of the institutional knowledge of these employees as well as how their integral work will be distributed among the remaining staff.
Package details varied by employee based on years of service. In total, $2.34 million will be paid out through December 2016 via the voluntary separation program. Salary, benefits, and unused vacation accounted for $1.8 million, $390,000 was paid as the $15,000 incentive to each participant, and an additional $150,000 was paid as benefits on the incentive.
The total annualized salary of the 26 employees who left the agency under the program was $1.7 million plus an additional $750,000 in benefits. Pending upcoming budget and personnel decisions at the April PMA board meeting, it is uncertain how many of these open positions will be rehired, which will determine what portion of the potential $2.45 million savings will be maintained annually.