CUE met with UC December 6-10, 1999 in Oakland. We had hoped to send daily
dispatches to you about our progress toward settlement. Unfortunately, UC
did not come to the table to make the kind of offers that would move
bargaining forward and result in a contract by the end of 1999.
Wage discussions were the top priority during the week. UC's own market
surveys show that UC clerical salaries lag far behind those for comparable
jobs in the market areas in which UC campuses are located; the
universitywide average pay lag is 21%, and for some jobs the difference is
as large as 37%. UC acknowledges that some units are having difficulty in
hiring qualified clerical employees. Still, UC insists that 2% is an
adequate amount for our salary increases. UC bargainers continue to make it
clear that while they have the money to give us larger increases, they just
do not consider salary increases for clericals to be a priority -- now or
in the near future.
It is of tremendous concern to us that this year UC is trying to secure a
4-year budget from the state legislature -- the effect of which could be to
"lock in" such inadequate raises for 4 more years.
Discussions on the grievance article were slightly more productive but no
agreement was reached. We left UC with a counter proposal at the end of
bargaining on Friday 12/10/99 and hope to receive a counter offer in January, 2000.
Discussions on non-discrimination were again disappointing. UC bargainers
still refuse to agree that claims of discrimination should be grievable and
arbitrable although many, many other Universities and Colleges have such a
contract provision. UC maintains that if you have a discrimination problem,
you should "take it to court." Unconcerned about the expense to the
employee and to the taxpayer of such
litigation, UC takes the simple position: "Sue us." UC clearly feels little
or no responsibility to deal internally with violations of the
nondiscrimination article -- offering greater grievance and arbitration
rights for contract provisions that are much less important.
On work rules such as dress codes, attendance standards, and personal
effects at employee work stations, UC will not agree that work rules must
have a "bona fide business and/or health and safety necessity." UC wants to
be able to implement and enforce work rules based on vague business reasons.
They also insist that employees would not be able to grieve a work rule
that appears to be unreasonable. According to UC, employees should only be
able to file grievances after they have been disciplined for violating a
rule or policy. This would not allow CUE to address the appropriateness of
the rule or the policy, until the University takes a disciplinary action
against an employee. Employees would have to suffer under unreasonable work
rules until an employee violates the work rule.
CUE will be asking all clericals for your support as we move into 2000. UC
has kept other unions in bargaining for over three years on their first
contracts. CUE wants to be an exception -- we want to complete a fair,
decent contract early in the new year. We cannot get this done without the
support of clericals from throughout the system, from Davis to San Diego.
The Bargaining Team needs your help in convincing UC that the work
clericals do is important and deserving of respect and fairness. Watch for
more email messages with additional information and specific requests for
your help. Our next bargaining session will be Jan. 19-21, 2000 in San Diego.
Happy New Year.
CUE's Bargaining Team:
- Kris Amaral (San Francisco)
- Christine Benoit (Riverside)
- Debbie Ceder (Santa Barbara)
- Mark Covington (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)
- Jennifer Goodheart (Santa Cruz)
- Alyce Herrera (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)
- Lyn Kelly (Los Angeles)
- Robin Luczak (San Diego)
- Linda Moser (Davis)
- Joanne Murray (Santa Barbara)
- Cynthia Norman (Irvine)
- Margy Wilkinson (Berkeley)
- Mark Blum (Chief Negotiator)
