| Coalition of University Employees (CUE) CUE TEAMSTERS LOCAL 2010 | 2855 Telegraph Ave., Suite #301, Berkeley, CA 94705 Contact CUE (510) 845-2221 (phone), (510) 845-7444 (FAX) |
| Write Letters |
August 2001
Dear President Atkinson and Chancellor Vanderhoef,
As a relatively new employee, I would like to express my dissatisfaction regarding the most recent wage offer to the clerical staff. CUE has referred to the quote as "insulting" and I have a hard time finding reason to disagree. It leaves the impression that we are not valued as employees. I work at a university because I have a passion for knowledge and education and I'd like to think that I can help students expand their view of the world. Money is not my primary concern, but the idea of my salary being frozen where it is, no matter how hard I work or what I do, is profoundly disheartening. I would like you to consider others like myself, the majority of whom are also women, who make under $30,000 a year. These pay raises were expected and are crucial for some of us.
I think it is important that you consider the real lives that these decisions affect. Some may argue that intent and not result is what constitutes the ethical value of an action, however, as a social policy maker you have a responsibility to consider the result of your decisions. The result will be that women will have less of a pay increase overall than men at UC. You will be maintaining and contributing to the present unfair status quo that you acknowledge in the UC Davis statement of community as consisting of "deep-rooted misunderstandings and biases". To overcome these biases in our society, words are a start, but proactive policy is what truly initiates change.
We all know that budgets are "flexible" and you can always find money for what's important.
We are important.
Thank you for considering my opinion.
Marie Boisvert-Smithers, UC Davis
Co-Signed by 2 co-workers at UC Davis