Press Release (12/21/00)

First CUE Contract Approved

The Coalition of University Employees (CUE), the independent union that represents 18,000 clerical workers at the University of California's nine campuses and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, signed off on its first contract with UC on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2000.

Union members overwhelmingly approved the contract that the union has been bargaining for over two years. With approximately 2/3 of union members participating in the vote, 96% voted YES to ratify.

The contract includes a 7.8% cost of living increase over two years, and maintains the previous "step-merit" system of salary increases as well.

Tentative agreement was reached in November, as strike preparation activities were increasing. On many of UC's campuses, employees had been staging rallies and other activities protesting UC's slow motion bargaining style -- a style which prolonged bargaining over two years. Clericals and their union also cited management's many violations of labor law, as the University failed to comply with legal information requests, engaged in direct dealing, and threatened to discipline employees for engaging in legal union activities.

"This is a historic first for CUE," said CUE president Claudia Horning, a library worker at UCLA. "This is the first contract for CUE, and we've made many significant improvements over the previous union's contract. CUE members should be very proud."

Gains made by the union include restrictions on background and credit checks, the ability to take discrimination claims to arbitration, and agreement by the University that clerical employees will be treated respectfully. The union also fought back attempts by UC to put clericals on a pay system dubbed "totally arbitrary" by union activists.

"The Respectful Fair Treatment clause is groundbreaking at UC," said Debbie Ceder, CUE vice president and representative to the CUE bargaining team from Santa Barbara. "Day to day disrespect of clericals is one of the biggest problems at the university. We hope this new contract will bring dignity to the valuable work performed by clerical employees."

Negotiations for the next contract will begin by May 1, 2001.

For more information, contact Claudia Horning at 866-253-7425.