By Joy McMasters
Daily Bruin Staff
UC staff employees are fighting for their piece of the
“salary pie,” and last week union members passed out
slices of the dessert to enlist help from more employees.
From the table they set up by LuValle Commons Aug. 14,
University Professional and Technical Employees members also
answered questions about the raise which should take effect Oct. 1
and asked them to sign a petition requesting a “fair share of
the salary pie.”
The state budget allocated a Cost of Living Adjustment to UC
employees that administrators have yet to determine how they will
distribute. As opposed to merit increases which are given to
well-performing employees, COLA adjustments are given to account
for inflation.
“The bottom line is that UC employees, staff, and
personnel are making 10 percent less than other public and state
employees,” said Beth Gray, a UPTE member who works in the
art history and classics departments.
Though the university acknowledges a difference, the number is
closer to six percent, according to UC budgetary figures.
Last spring, the state legislature set aside funds for cost of
living pay increases and Gov. Gray Davis approved a total of $19
million, emphasizing that the money go to the lowest paid
employees.
“They gave us the money, but we’re not sure what UC
will do with it,” said Carol Grese, a UPTE member for five
years and UCLA employee. “It’s about letting the
legislature and UC know that we feel that we want to be
equal.”
The money is supposed to go to non-faculty employees, such as
health care workers, researches and technicians, in the form of a
one to two percent raise, said Judith Magee, a student affairs
officer and UPTE member.
Magee is part of a group called the 99 Unit, a category of
administrative employees represented by UPTE who do not yet have
employee contracts.
On Aug. 16, Magee and members of a statewide 99 organizing
committee went to Oakland for a meeting with labor relations
representatives.
Earlier last week, administrators sent memos to directors and
department heads regarding proposed staff salaries which did not
mention the $19 million and appeared to suggest the raise would be
going to academic rather than staff employees, Magee said.
“I was furious because I had seen those two memos and I
felt like they were trying to cheat us,” Magee said.
“After going there and talking to them I don’t feel as
furious because I feel like they’re going to give us the
money as promised.”
As of last week’s meeting, administrators had not decided
exactly how the $19 million would be spent, and though the
information is still incomplete, UC spokesman Brad Hayward said a
distribution method has been proposed.
Employees earning $40,000 per year or less would receive a two
percent raise on top of the regular merit increases in the salary
program, and those earning between $40,000 and $80,000 would
receive a one percent additional raise, Hayward said.
“The so-called 99s will receive a portion of the $19
million augmentation,” Hayward said.
According to Hayward, the UC thinks the distribution is fair for
all employees and is consistent with the governor’s emphasis
on helping lower-paid employees.
“We appreciated the opportunity to meet with the staff and
hear their concerns,” Hayward said.
Staff representatives also saw the meeting as a success.
“They claim that within the next week and a half they will
come out and talk with us about how we will get the $19 million as
a cost of living increase across the board,” Magee said.
“We want to make sure that staff know that they are
supposed to be getting a 1.7 percent cost of living increase across
the board; it wasn’t announced,” Magee added.
Hayward said the UC would begin communicating plans for the
raise money. Administrators at the campuses will be notified first,
and the information will then be passed down to affected
employees.