UC's Insult to 16,000 Clerical Workers

Dear UC Clericals:

Since August, 2003, UC and CUE have been bargaining the "reopener" issues from the 2002 contract: a salary increase (retroactive to October 1, 2003), parking fees and medical plan costs. After receiving the fact-finder's report, which showed that UC not only had money for clerical salary increases but had diverted that money to other uses, UC proposed to resolve our "differences" by offering tiny increases to a total of fewer than 20 clericals out of more than 16,000:

Here is CUE's March 8 response.

(PDF version of this letter)

March 8, 2005

Sharon Hayden, Chief Negotiator
UCOP Labor Relations
300 Lakeside Dr 12th Fl
Oakland, CA 94612

Via: FAX 510/268-0602 & US Mail

Dear Sharon:

We are responding to your letter dated March 2, 2005, advising CUE of your last best and final offer in the 2003 reopener negotiations.

As you know CUE proposed equity adjustments for the UC Irvine public safety dispatchers and has been demanding a salary adjustment for clerical employees in the Nutrition Department at the UCSD Medical Center since 2002. In your offer you propose to resolve all open issues in the 2003 bargaining by giving the UCI dispatchers (of whom there may be 4) a 10% salary adjustment and the Nutrition workers of UCSD MC (of whom there are 8) a 2% salary adjustment. We cannot do this and must reject your offer.

The fact finders report made clear that the decision not to offer a reasonable wage adjustment to 16,000 UC clericals is a policy decision -- it has nothing to do with what money UC has or what money UC did or did not get from the state of California. We are outraged that in the face of the fact finder's urging, UC continues to refuse to provide thousands of clericals a modest increase. The increases proposed by the fact finder would only serve to slow the continuing erosion of clerical salaries. They would not be fair increases, they would not even begin to close the market gap but if offered they would be considered a good faith signal that UC is serious about establishing "good relations" with its 16,000 clerical employees.

We reject your last, best and final offer -- it is an insult to CUE and to the 16,000 hardworking UC clericals we represent.

Sincerely,

Linda Moser
Chief Negotiator
2003 Reopener Bargaining

cc: Reopener Bargaining Team