| Coalition of University Employees (CUE) | 2855 Telegraph Ave., Suite #302, Berkeley, CA 94705 Contact CUE (510) 845-2221 (phone), (510) 845-7444 (FAX) |
The Coalition of University Employees is preparing for a system wide road show on the heels of the recent overwhelming vote of no confidence in the leadership of UC President Mark G. Yudof. Over the next five weeks, economist Peter Donohue will travel to campuses across the state to report on the hidden wealth of the University of California. Dr. Donohue has conducted financial analysis of the major public universities in the Western United States. Since 2001 he has studied UC data covering 1990 to the present. The road show kicks off on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at the UC Berkeley Campus.
The recent controversy arose on July 16, 2009 when the Board of Regents voted for pay cuts, layoffs, and a furlough schedule for employees of the University. "We know the University has the resources. The Regents gave bonuses and raises to senior managers and executives on the same day they voted in the plan for furloughs, salary cuts, and layoffs. That money could be used to save the jobs of our fellow workers, lower student fees, and to uphold the mission of the University of California" stated CUE member Katherine Renfro. Using university audited financial statements Donohue's analysis concludes that the university has over $5.5 billion in unrestricted funds. CUE believes (as other unions believe) UC has the money to stop Yudof's proposed cuts in salary, staff, academic programs and increased student fees from occurring. "The only sacrifice we are seeing from top management is a memo that President Yudof sent and upper management sent to their executives to limit their expense accounts and their dining to $75 bottles of wine. That's the limitation. That's an example of their sacrifice," says Rik Sandoval, a cook at UCSF Medical Center (AFSCME). Schedule of Dr. Peter Donohue's Road ShowFor more information, please contact CUE at the appropriate Local Contacts.
Dr. Peter Donohue had prepared an analysis of 10 years of UC Financial data in his 2002 report UC's Hidden Wealth. This Road Show presents an opportunity to share his revised information to clericals across the state of California.
The Coalition of University Employees is an independent, member-run union of 15,000 administrative support and allied services professionals across the University of California ten campus/five hospital system.