Bargaining Update #15: Jan. 22-25, 29-Feb. 1, 2002
- CUE's economist meets informally with UC
- CUE modifies wage proposal
- CUE and UC make progress on some articles
- UC makes `comprehensive' proposal with no improvement in wage offer
The CUE and UC bargaining teams met for a total of 8 days during the last
two weeks of January. The highlight of this marathon bargaining session
was an off-the-record meeting between UC's chief negotiator, Sharon
Hayden, and the Director of Labor Relations, Gayle Cieszkiewicz, (along
with several other systemwide human resources and labor relations staff)
with the economist hired by CUE to review UC's finances. At this
meeting UC representatives were very impressed by the
information
presented by Dr. Peter Donohue, the economist hired by CUE. In showing
that UC has literally billions of dollars in fund reserves, Dr. Donohue
demonstrated that UC's claim it can't afford to pay clerical employees
hard earning merit increases to be totally bogus. In fact, due to the very
high turnover among clericals in the UC system, merit increases cost UC
almost nothing. We are waiting to see how UC will respond to this
information.
In addition, CUE revised its wage proposal to extend our original proposal
over two years (7.5% each year) plus merits. We also dropped some
of our other demands while continuing to press for:
- a new classification in the ____Assistant series (a ____Asst IV);
- increased shift differentials;
- equity adjustments for Library Assistants and clericals in the UCSD
hospital Nutrition department (to be paid out of local campus funds);
- and a commitment to reduce pay differences between campuses. (We
pointed out to UC that Santa Cruz which has among the
lowest pay rates for UC clerical employees is now the least
affordable housing market in the entire country.)
Progress was made on some articles. For example:
- UC agreed to CUE's proposal that we bargain any future increases in
parking rates. This will begin immediately with any proposed increases for this July.
- UC also agreed to CUE's proposal requiring that new and transferring
employees be told when to expect an evaluation and that
probationary employees receive a written evaluation at the midpoint
of their probationary period.
- UC withdrew its proposal to pay only 4 CUE representatives during
bargaining (rather than one from each campus) and language
was exchanged between the parties on a number of other issues.
On Friday, February 1, 2002, UC gave CUE a comprehensive set of proposals,
however since this package retained UC's initial wage offer (1% as of
10/1/01 and NO merits for 2001-2002) and was not at all responsive to
several other articles raised by CUE in bargaining, CUE's chief
negotiator expressed serious doubts that this package will resolve the
differences between the parties. CUE's bargaining team is reviewing the
proposal from UC and will make a counter offer when the parties meet
again on February 11, 2002 in Oakland.
CUE's Bargaining Team:
- Margy Wilkinson, Chief Negotiator
- Chris Benoit, Lead Negotiator
- Mark Covington, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Becky Croll, Davis
- Mary Efferen, San Francisco
- Hilary FitzGerald-Nicholson, Berkeley / UCOP
- Deborah Freeman, San Francisco
- Elaine Hernandez, Irvine
- Jack Joshua, Santa Barbara
- Robin Luczak, San Diego
- Connie McGrath, Riverside
- Joanne Murray, Santa Barbara
- Zoe Sodja, Santa Cruz
- Anita Windom-Jones, Los Angeles
- Eleni Yatar, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
