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NOTES FROM THE BARGAINING BUBBLE #14
by Bert Thomas, UCLA Representative, CUE BARGAINING TEAM
(A personal diary, not the Official Report)
UC IRVINE, APRIL 21-22, 2005 & UC DAVIS, May 3-5, 2005
A DOUBLE BUBBLE: IRVINE & DAVIS
IMPASSE PROCESS ON 2003-04 CONCLUDED.
CUE CALLS FOR STRIKE VOTE STATEWIDE!
Negotiations at UC Irvine began exactly a week after the AFSCME Strike of April 14th, and the UC team was well aware that CUE and other members of the UC Union Coalition had honored the picket lines (usually by joining them in large numbers) up and down the state. I had been honored to attend the strike day at UC Santa Cruz where a jubilant multitude utterly closed the campus with a brilliant organizing effort involving activists of every UC union and ferocious student groups--chanting, singing, drumming, honking horns, everyone happy to be walking the lines with their signs, their children, and their neighbors. And the University had tentatively settled with AFSCME literally days afterward. The dust hadn't quite settled. It was only clear that AFSCME's leadership was mostly pleased with what had been agreed to at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. Nobody was entirely sure what it was, though the bargaining room was overflowing with interpretations.
CUE Statewide President Mary Higgins declared her excitement with the AFSCME agreement. The University's Chief Negotiator Peter Chester allowed as how AFSCME "gave the university what it needed..." (Gad, is it just me or do you feel your head twist from all the spin on that remark? The university "needed" a strike?) And "if we model that here, we might be able to work some magic relatively soon."
CUE Chief Negotiator Amatullah Alaji-Sabrie cautioned Mr. Chester that although she was encouraged by the apparent settlement with AFSCME, she wanted to be certain there was a distinction in his mind between AFSCME and CUE. "We answer to different workers with different interests and needs."
DO YOU THINK I'M LYING?
ONLY WHEN YER LIPS MOVE, BRO...
Irvine CUE-sters were out in force, filling the room on their lunch hours to witness the proceedings. UC's Chester, never comfortable with "visitors", took umbrage at folks eating their lunch, claiming that conditions of room use were being violated by the presence of food and drink--thoughtfully provided by the Irvine Local and activist Monika Hobson. When CUE's Chief Negotiator Amatullah Alaji-Sabrie and Ms. Hobson challenged this, saying that no such prohibition had been communicated to them, Mr. Chester rose up, white-faced, eyes wide, mouth pursed into an "O" we've come to recognize as precursor to a credibility meltdown. "Do you think I'm lying?" I bit my tongue. I asked him to show us the email or whatever it was that forbade dining by visitors. None was offered or produced. Carmen Elliott, a fierce and formidable Local CUE-ster, settled the matter as Mr. Chester was rising up to lead his team out of the room. "We'll pack up our food and eat it later," she declared. "Please, continue...we're here to observe this!" Mr. Chester sat down.
THE ISSUES
The CUE Team had been busting its buns to produce counter-proposals for language introduced by the university at the end of March meetings in Oakland. These included (for the sake of the record) "non-economic" contract articles, virtually all of which involved "take-aways" from the now-expired agreement. With Statewide Executive Board guidance and approval, we proposed restorations and improvements to all of these, including:
Vigorous, often heated discussions of these filled the remaining time at UC Irvine...Mr. Chester boldly asserting the University's right to treat clerical workers in whatever manner management thought best; CUE challenging the arrogance, elitism and unaccountability that appeared to be the university's idea of what that meant.
Before the meetings ended, Negotiator Chester managed to argue that the FACT FINDER'S REPORT had been wrong to find in favor of CUE...and attempted to trash the data provided by Compensation Analyst Kathleen Hurley (which had been devastating to the University's case). He was gamely supported in this effort by Susan Wright, his able lieutenant of Labor Relations at UC San Francisco who often tries to bail him out when his arguments are going "clunk". It was, if I may say so, a pitiful effort all around. They were spared further disgrace by the time running out, what with planes to catch and all.
We agreed to reconvene on the more pressing matters of WAGES, BENEFITS & PARKING when next we met at UC DAVIS in just a couple of weeks.
On our wedding anniversary, April 26th (thank you, send large gifts in my name to the CUE STRIKE FUND), my wife gave me a silver cuff to wear on my wrist with a message in Sanskrit (I'm told) that translates to: "I see the jewel in your lotus". In gringo, it translates (I'm told) to: "I see the spark/seed/germ of Divinity in you." I started wearing it to bargaining to remind me to be less cynical...to look for the "jewel" in the University's "lotus". Like shopping for eggs at a hardware store... The University's bargaining team is not the Lotus; forget the Jewel. The University's Lotus and Jewel are elsewhere.
I found them nine years ago, when I met and befriended those at this University & Medical Center who worked with patients and/or students, and people who helped clean up the place...sometimes while holding a second job just to afford the rent and hang on to their steadily declining health benefits. YOU are the University's "Lotus". And there are lots of "Jewels" among you. I have only rarely located a jewel among the be-suited, besotted, self-important management and administration of this institution, the majority of whom seem to bear the lingering aroma of brimstone and compromise from the paths they've taken to get to where they are in the corporate pecking order. They cry poverty on bloated paychecks, but it's hard to deny that their clothes and cars and homes are nicer than yours. And if they missed work a couple of weeks, who would miss them? Sound like anyone in your department?
YEP, THEY'RE GOOFY
A veritable parade of these fellas (yep, all "fellas", with the occasional female in subservient role of factotum/amanuensis) came to testify at our meetings in Davis about Parking on their respective campuses. They were there to forecast and explain proposals for new parking costs at several of the University's northern sites: Santa Cruz, UCOP, Berkeley, Davis, and San Francisco. (The Lawrence Berkeley National Lab employee parking is free--that's right, FREE--by virtue of its contractual association with the federal Department of Energy.)
Quite an assortment...the good, the bad, and the ugly. All wanting a fistful of dollars. And a few dollars more. (Sincerest apologies, Mr. Eastwood.) What we learned from fully a day-and-a-half of this testimony is that the mighty University of California runs its parking businesses "freestyle". There is no standard or single business protocol for handling employee, student, disabled or patient parking fees. Each site is charged with cutting its own deals, providing its own parking structures and lots, and fixing its own rates. We've come a long way from free parking where you work, haven't we? My goodness, our employer raises our pay by 1.5% and increases our parking costs by anything from under 1% to more than 30%, depending on where you work. Each arrangement utterly different from the others, or, as one of these gentlemen replied when I'd characterized the rich variety of costs and contracts as "a can of worms": "It's not a can of worms...it's just an efficient, effective use of available parking resources in unique circumstances." Well said, my blue-eyed friend...claim your bonus at the Regents' Ball.
And when one of us asked the UCOP parking fellas whether they had ever considered the injustice of poorly paid people paying the same rates as those making over a hundred grand, the parking fella looked to UC's Negotiator, Peter Chester, whose face was suddenly white with alarm. "We're not going there!" quoth Pete, "The University is not prepared to negotiate this!" Why not? you may ask. We're not sure, but Mr. Chester guards this particular revenue stream like a junkyard dog...as though University parking were the special bailiwick of The Pianos.
And so CUE will file an Information Request on all the "unique circumstances" of all the parking departments on all the UC campuses for review by the bargaining team. In addition, we will explore means by which an official audit of each of these enterprises might be undertaken, through the auspices and authority of the State Legislature, or County Supervisors, or possibly a group of concerned citizens and taxpayers. Parking increases proposed to take effect this coming July will have to wait. Perhaps a long time.
ALONG THE MUDDY ROAD TO "WAGES"
Just before CUE's Negotiator, Amatullah Alaji-Sabrie, moved the discussion to Wages, CUE President Mary Higgins asked Mr. Chester whether he had counter-proposals to offer on the non-economic issues offered by CUE in the previous meeting (Irvine, reported above). Blank stare. "Well...uh...nothing written. We can talk about stuff..." Jeeze, I've seen medication for this advertised on TV. A subject of such surpassing interest to Mr. Chester only two weeks or so prior...gone from the radar screen; and not the first time, either. The CUE team chose not to talk about stuff.
Returning from lunch on the second day, May 4th, Mr. Chester announced that the University team would be "in caucus" for the balance of the day in order to present a Wage Proposal the following morning.
Hallellujah...sort of.
THE UNIVERSITY WAGE PROPOSAL
A PUNCH IN THE NOSE. A POKE IN THE EYE.
...FEEL THE LOVE.
OK, here it is. Enjoy.
LESS THAN the Governor's shady "compact". LESS THAN the agreement with AFSCME. And lookee here...it's all contingent on CUE's acceptance of "No-Strike" language, unknown "Benefits" increases, and increases in "Parking Fees" through FY 2007-2008. Plus, NOTHING for the current year '04-05, NO MERIT INCREASES, NO LIBRARY ASSISTANT EQUITY INCREASES, and best of all it's ALL offered "provided the funding...is allocated to the University...pursuant to the State Budget Act as finally adopted." Up to Muscle-Guv and the Legislature, in other words.
Special, ain't it?
Lest I forget, UC's Chester was quick to add that it was NOT the University's "last, best, final offer". We didn't need to caucus to let him know it was neither acceptable nor attractive.
TRUST US, WE'RE MANAGEMENT...DRINK THE KOOL-AID
Tastes terrible, less filling. I have lost whatever residue of confidence I had in the process of "collective bargaining" with this institution. Nor would I suggest that it is Peter Chester who's mixing up the Kool-Aid. He's only the vessel. It's his job to serve it up, see if anybody'll drink it. It smells of corruption and the neediness of power. "I'm the Boss, and NOBODY tells ME what to do...unless I'm afraid of him/her/them." It all pours out of the President's Office.
Chester's team, as now constituted, consists of women and minorities, all of whom seem to know their place. Anyone who doesn't get it, isn't there next time. From roughly 8 members originally, it's now pared down to 3 regulars. Like Ray Charles & the Raylettes...it's "Peter & the Pips". He has made no secret of his desire to work the same disappearing-act on members of the CUE team. (May already have done so, in a few cases...soon to be adjudicated.)
The CUE team--all but two of us female--is more diverse. And the boys are not in charge. And nobody's drinking the Kool-Aid.
It may be that the University is thrown off balance having to deal across the table with women. All the other union teams are, I believe, headed by men...except for the Nurses maybe. Whatever...it just seems nuts to me that this dominant-white-male hierarchical model (with 3 or 4 capable and intelligent women in "supporting roles") has been laughable since the late '70's...yet it's the face UC presents today to a union of workers who're mostly women and people of color. It's a "manly" job, this bargaining with women. If these women were manly, Bob Dynes would know what to do...make 'em managers. Chancellors or something. For an institution as preoccupied with "appearances" as this one, it seems crazy to operate on an organizational paradigm that would look swell on black-and-white TV. If it's not insane, it's at least goofy-looking.
CUE: Why are there no merits in your wage proposal?
PC: We want to stay as close to market...as we currently are. (20-30% under?)
CUE: Are you opposed to the general "merit" program?
PC: We are not going to deviate from the University's avowed policy.
CUE: How about equity for the Library Assistant classification?
PC: We are open to discussion of Library Assistant equity. We are not willing to give you the amount of money allocated for equity adjustments. We don't know who, specifically, makes the allocation decision...the Budget Office.
CUE: Who is that?
PC: Well...I don't know exactly. People involved with the budget.
CUE: You know, Peter..."interest-based" bargaining for us means making honest proposals that we believe are good for both sides. Your response is always to propose something you know we won't accept...like it's a game. It may be a game to you, but it's not a game to us. From the comfort and safety of your big salary, you are playing with the lives of people who barely get by.
PC: CUE's proposal (5% for '04-'05) was...the stratosphere!
CUE: Peter, you really must stop this condescending, exaggerated characterization of our proposals.
PC: It is not fruitful to discuss '04-'05 because the University is not willing to provide any increase.
And so on.
See, it ain't Peter...it's "the University." That would be President Bob Dynes, who used to run the UC San Diego campus. "Back-Door Bob" they called him, because he always ran out the back door whenever organized workers came to call. And just look, a "Board of Regents" picked him out of the litter. Life is good.
The University has minimized the AFSCME Strike in all its PR, but it's plain they don't want another one. And they settled with AFSCME in less than a week. See a pattern there? Our next bargaining session is set for UC Riverside, June 1st thru June 3rd, if there's not another Strike going on. You're welcome to join us in the room, to witness the University's performance. It'll be grist for the mill next time anyone asks you "Why should I join CUE?"
FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS WORK Un-CUE-ed
IF YOU DON'T BELONG TO CUE,
THEY THINK YOU BELONG ON YOUR KNEES
Got a problem with that? Any of it?
You can now JOIN CUE ONLINE at:
http://www.cueunion.org/membership_info/membformweb.pdf
Fill out the form, print, sign and mail it. Your
membership sends a clear message to the University.
There are 17,000 of us from Santa Cruz to San Diego.
Together, we cannot be ignored or treated with the usual
contempt. Need help at Local 4? Visit our website (below) or call our
mighty Organizers:
THE STRIKE FUND...AN INVESTMENT IN YOUR FUTURE
Donating an hour's pay to the CUE Strike Fund every month is something anybody can do. Send it to:
CUE Bookkeeper
ATTN: Strike Fund
2855 Telegraph Avenue - Ste. 302
Berkeley, CA 94705
Solidarity is Intelligent. Fun. And Powerful.
Blessins,
--BT (Bert Thomas, CUE's UCLA Bargaining Representative)
5.16.2005
Or get your Bubbles at the UCLA website.