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Letters to Legislators: accompanying over 5000 merit petitions

May 2002

Dear Honorable ___________:

CUE is an independent, member-run union representing approximately 18,000 clerical workers at the ten UC campuses. We are writing on behalf of this constituency to provide you with a copy of a petition signed by over 5,000 supporters of our demand that the Regents fund the 2001-02 merit program. Signatures include faculty and students, as well as staff.

The merit compensation system initiated by the Regents decades ago delineates a salary range for each clerical classification. Within those ranges are 6 steps containing 12 half-steps. The bottom is about 30 percent below the top of the range. Historically, one would move up annually commensurate to performance, with a one-step increase as the standard for satisfactory work. UC administrators used to believe that rewarding good performance was important. UC's wage proposal for 2001-02--a 1% COLA with no merits--shows that their priorities have changed. For 2002-03, UC recently proposed a mere half-step merit increase for satisfactory performance, with absolutely no COLA increase. Needless to say, clericals are outraged.

Economist Peter Donohue has issued a report on the University's overall financial status. According to Donohue, UC has unrestricted reserves exceeding $2 billion. We are asking you to help persuade the UC Regents to pay us commensurately to the services we perform by funding our 2001-02 merits now. In their own literature, UC admits that clerical salaries lag the market rates. An average annual turnover of approximately 54% since 1995 speaks to the importance--both to UC and to clerical workers--of bringing compensation closer to market standards for similar positions with similar benefits in the private sector.

Thank you for any assistance you can provide in helping us to help the Regents see that they must treat the 'valued' clerical employees of UC as though we really do have some value in enhancing the education of California's youth.

Sincerely,

Claudia Horning
President, CUE