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CUE strike

June 8, 2005

3 UNIONS STRIKE -- AND UC'S OUT

OUT of excuses for why it treats its lower-paid workers so badly, causing AFSCME and UPTE to strike over UC's unfair labor practices, and causing CUE to strike over our terrible wages.

In 2003-04 bargaining, CUE made a modest pay demand, but UC refused to meet it. CUE scaled its demand down to a 1% general increase and a 1/2 step merit for all employees, including those topped out, all effective retroactively to October 2003. UC still refused to offer an increase.

CUE would not accept that 0% was an OK pay raise for UC's clericals, and the contract was never settled. We went to official impasse status and to fact-finding, where a neutral, state-appointed arbitrator, G. McKay, ruled that UC CAN AFFORD CLERICAL PAY INCREASES & SHOULD GIVE THEM. UC still refused. (Now UC has the nerve to claim that 03-04 bargaining ended with a "compromise," because they gave small increases to fewer than a dozen clericals -- out of a work-force of 16,500.

The arbitrator found:

• Wages for UC Administrative Assistant Is and IIs lag behind the market rate by 24%; Administrative Assistant IIIs by 13%.
• Library Assistant pay at UC is 33% less than at CSU. Administrative Assistants earn 22.7% less.
• UC's annual NET income goes up every year; 2003-04 net income was $786 million.
• UC diverted $20 million that was earmarked for clerical salaries to other projects.

Using UC's own figures, economist P. Donohue had already demonstrated that UC has over $5 billion in unrestricted funds that could be used for fair wages, for offsetting student fee hikes and program cuts. So while UC pays gigantic salaries and bonuses to top administrators, it ignores the people who make UC work, the students who can barely afford fees, and the now-deteriorating academic programs.

UC claims the state budget crisis makes it impossible to give us increases, but UC has plenty of money even with the crisis. Only 1/3 of the funding for clerical salaries comes from the state.

CUE demands the increases that UC refused, effective October 2003, and we demand that UC award the equity adjustments that arbitrator McKay recommended to bring Library Assistant pay in line with Administrative Assistant pay.

UC is out of excuses. And we'll be out on the picket lines next week!

Please join us in this 100% legal strike to tell the administration what you think of clerical salaries at UC.