Bargaining Update #16: Feb. 11-13, 2002
- UC's wage offer has not changed since May 2001.
- Temps and casuals
- Personnel Files
- Alternate work schedules
- Be sure to sign the merit petition
CUE and UC bargained in Oakland on February 11-13, 2002. Monday,
February 11 was spent in caucus to allow CUE to prepare a complete
response to the comprehensive proposal UC passed at the last session.
CUE pointed out that UC's latest wage proposal was precisely the same as
the one given CUE in September, 2001 and that this would not lead to a
quick settlement. CUE also indicated that due to inflation and the
increase in the costs of health care, UC is in fact asking clericals to
take a pay cut in 2001-02. In addition, while CUE had proposed a number
of improvements in Health & Safety, UC's response has continued to be
disappointing. Moreover, UC also insists it will not implement needed
workplace changes to protect the health and safety of employees if
specifically earmarked funds are not available, nor does it offer to
take steps to earmark funds for these Health & Safety needs.
- Limited appointments (formerly temporary employees and casuals)--the
parties moved closer to agreement on language that would protect limited
appointments from being denied career status when appropriate.
- Personnel Files--CUE expressed concern about the fact that many
supervisors keep multiple files on staff and that materials which should
be removed from the files after two years are sometimes retained. UC
indicated that it is UCOP's position that there should only be one file
(except that grievance materials and information about medical leaves
should be kept in separate files). CUE pointed out that the language about
what could be removed ("counseling memoranda and/or written records of
discussions") is rather narrow and does not cover letters of complaint,
for example. This matter will be discussed again.
- Hours of work--CUE is seeking to limit the reasons that an employee may
be denied a request for an alternate work schedule and the reasons for
which a work schedule might be changed by UC. UC complained that it needed the
flexibility to grant or deny requests or change work schedules for reasons
other than "business necessity or health and safety." CUE bargainers were
hard-pressed to understand what those reasons could be.
We will continue to work to achieve a good contract for all UC clericals.
In the meantime, UC has stated repeatedly that it is not willing to pay UC
clericals the merits we have earned that have been owed since last
October. Please sign our on-line petition
(if you have not yet done so). It only takes a minute.
Our next bargaining session is scheduled for UCOP February 27-28, and March
1. We have tentatively scheduled another session for March 13-15 in
Southern California.
CUE's Bargaining Team:
- Margy Wilkinson, Chief Negotiator
- Chris Benoit, Lead Negotiator
- Becky Croll, Davis
- Hilary FitzGerald-Nicholson, Berkeley / UCOP
- Deborah Freeman, San Francisco
- Jody Galluzzi, San Diego
- Connie McGrath, Riverside
- Zoe Sodja, Santa Cruz
- Anita Windom-Jones, Los Angeles
- Eleni Yatar, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
