SUMMARY
- UC stalls negotiations -- does not provide CUE with an offer on wages,
and has not read CUE's proposals, even with nearly a month to prepare.
- New data on LBNL shows wages are distributed without relation to
performance.
- CUE is prepared to conclude bargaining quickly. Is UC?
UC and CUE met in Oakland September 27-29, 2000. In a flagrant show of
disrespect to the 18,000 clericals of this University, management failed to
come to the table with a response to CUE's last wage proposal made 27
days ago. CUE came prepared to conclude bargaining on a comprehensive
agreement, however UC presented only two carelessly drafted proposals. If a
clerical had produced such slipshod work, disciplinary action would have
resulted.
On the issues surrounding the clerical employees at the Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory (LBNL), Lab management brought no new ideas, no new
solutions, and no authority to bargain. New data reveals that clericals
with the same performance ratings, meeting the same standards, have wild
variations in wage increases. This led the CUE/LBNL team to question
what the "real" factors are that go into wage increases at the laboratory.
Lab management could give no answer. Their spokesman said only "we have
230 clericals...each one is a unique case" -- an astonishing statement
which underscores the very issue CUE has with this capricious and
arbitrary pay system.
On Background Checks, UC gave us a counter proposal, but clearly had not
even read CUE's last proposal, and UC's Chief Negotiator, Sharon Hayden,
subsequently withdrew it, stating she would read CUE's proposal.
On Payroll Deduction, UC handed over a proposal that was full of
typographical and grammatical errors, and even failed to include language
which had been agreed upon in our last discussion at the table.
CUE demanded to resume bargaining without delay, however Hayden had
few dates to offer. After strong pressure from CUE, UC agreed to meet on
Friday through Monday (including the weekend), October 6-9, 2000. UC will
need to bring their long-promised wage proposal to the table to make this
next session fruitful.
CUE's Bargaining Team:
- Christine Benoit (Riverside)
- Stephane Berlaud (San Francisco)
- Debbie Ceder (Santa Barbara)
- Mark Covington (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)
- Jennifer Goodheart (Santa Cruz)
- LeAnn Herigstad (Davis)
- Alyce Herrera (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)
- Lyn Kelly (Los Angeles)
- Robin Luczak (San Diego)
- Joanne Murray (Santa Barbara)
- Cynthia Norman (Irvine)
- Margy Wilkinson (Berkeley)
- Mark Blum (Chief Negotiator)
