The CUE bargaining team met with UC at the Irvine campus on November 4 and 5, 1998 and at UC Davis on November 19 and 20, 1998. At Irvine we began on a positive note -- by signing off on the ground rules for bargaining, our first systemwide agreement with UC.
We then discussed interim wages.
Before the November 4 & 5, 1998 bargaining session we had notified UC that CUE believes UC should give UC clericals the money set aside for our salary adjustments by the state legislature and other funding agencies. Since then, UC had responded by notifying CUE that they would require many concessions from CUE before they would distribute our money. Their proposal (outlined in an earlier email) included giving up step increases forever and giving UC the unilateral right to implement significant changes in working conditions (new attendance standards and work rules for example).
Over the course of the session, we passed proposals and counter proposals back and forth. CUE made it clear that we are very committed to getting the money due clericals into our paychecks as soon as possible -- but not at an unreasonable cost.
In order to get the 2%, which we believe is ours by right, distributed sooner rather than later, CUE did offer to make some concessions. For example, we said:
- We would agree to accept increases in parking fees for this year (something UC had asked for earlier in the Fall).
- We would agree to UC's proposal to move to a single merit date (as opposed to having two per year) with language that would protect those who might be harmed by the transition to a single date.
- We would agree to bargain at the campus level on reasonable changes in individual employee work hours or location, and on proposed new dress codes. Since CUE is currently insisting that these changes must be bargained at the systemwide negotiations, this is an important concession to UC's insistence that they be allowed to make such changes unilaterally.
We waited 2 weeks for UC's response, which was, essentially, "no." When we met in Davis on November 19, 1998, we learned that even these concessions were not enough for UC, which still wants us to give up step pay increases and our right to negotiate on basic issues of working conditions. Bargaining on this issue will continue at the next session.
POTENTIAL GOOD NEWS ABOUT CATASTROPHIC LEAVE
At the end of the most recent bargaining session, UC told us that the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab had agreed to develop a catastrophic leave program that would include clericals. Although we have yet to see UC's position in writing, this is a dramatic change from their last position on catastrophic leave at the Lab, which was that there would not be any such leave program there, and it removes one huge obstacle to reaching agreement with UC on a program that would benefit UC clericals statewide -- which was our bottom line. It is clear that an active pressure campaign launched by CUE members at the Lab is the key factor moving Lab management to change their position on this issue.
Congratulations to everyone who is helping on this campaign!
OTHER NEWS
Previously we had reported that UC had been interfering with the bargaining process by taking actions against CUE bargainers. We are very pleased to be able to report that UC has backed off on this matter. After our strong protests, UCSF management withdrew its
objections to CUE representative Kris Amaral's participation in bargaining. But UCLA representative Lyn Kelly was subjected to a more complicated form of harassment. She was told she was being placed on investigatory leave and escorted from her building. No explanation was given! Weeks later, Lyn was allowed to return to work, but management claimed it was still "investigating" some misbehavior. With CUE's strong support and
intervention, finally Lyn was notified that she had been found innocent of any wrong doing. Our full team is back at work, both on campus and at the bargaining table!
CUE and UC are meeting again on December 2 & 3, 1998 in Riverside. As always, we will keep you posted.
CUE's Bargaining Team:
- Kris Amaral (San Francisco)
- Christine Benoit (Riverside)
- Debbie Ceder (Santa Barbara)
- Mary Harrington (Santa Cruz)
- Lyn Kelly (Los Angeles)
- Robin Luczak (San Diego)
- Linda Moser (Davis)
- Joanne Murray (Santa Barbara)
- Cynthia Norman (Irvine)
- John Randolph (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)
- Margy Wilkinson (Berkeley)
- Mark Blum (Chief Negotiator)
