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(Original article on San Jose Mercury News website requires subscription.)
A panel of independent fact-finders has recommended that the University of California give "equity" pay raises to 90 percent of the system's lowest-paid employees -- its clerical workers -- for 2003-04, but the UC system has rejected the panel's proposal.
The recommendation comes after UC and the clerical union, the Coalition of University Employees, reached an impasse in labor negotiations.
"There is no question that the university is in a position to afford a wage increase for clerical workers," the panel concluded. "There is no question that the university should pay the clerical employees a wage increase based on their relative position in the marketplace."
The panel, whose report was released Thursday, found that the university's reserves have grown significantly over the past decade, including an increase of $400 million in 2003-04 increases to almost 90,000 of its 115,000 employees in 2003-04, but not to the clerical workers, who are paid below market rates.
The university rejected the panel's wage recommendation, saying that giving raises to 90 percent of the clerical unit would amount to an "across-the-board" raise. Doing that "would be unfair to the other UC employees who also had to forgo increases for 2003-04 when the state was unable to appropriate funds for UC salary increases," UC said in a statement.
The university had earmarked $20 million for a clerical wage increase in 2003-04, but decided to use that money elsewhere when the state did not approve its funding request for a 6 percent salary increase.
Contact Becky Bartindale at bbartindale@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5459.