Relations between the University of California and UC labor
unions have become more strained within the past year, partly due
to state budget cuts to the university.
Over the past decade, budget cuts have not always been an issue,
and neither have tensions between unions and the UC.
Between 1996 and 2002, the state budget raised UC funds
consistently and staff wages remained competitive, according to
past UC press releases.
The 1999-2000 budget provided for an increase of funds for
“adjustments in salary levels and merit increases for
eligible faculty and staff as part of an effort to maintain
competitive salaries,” according to an October 1998 UC press
release.
Budget cuts did not occur until the beginning of the 2001-2002
fiscal year, when the UC took $533.3 million in state funding cuts
due to California’s economic downturn, though UC officials
state that the university kept staff wages and benefits as
competitive as possible.
In the face of budget cuts, the university has found other ways
to recognize employees because funding is out of their control.
The UC has implemented a salary-based approach to health care
costs, is offering deferred retirement income programs, and gave an
extra two days off during the winter holidays.
Though this has not done much to solve the ongoing labor
disputes, UC officials say they recognize that similar controversy
tends to occur during contract renewal periods.
“In times of negotiations, a lot of what you see is
typical. The issues may change depending on circumstances and the
time,” said Noel Van Nyhuis, a spokesman for the UC Office of
the President.
“In terms of having demonstrations, that sort of thing
happened in the past and will likely happen in the
future.”
Though the state may be cutting the UC’s budget, the cost
of living has been on the rise, and some unions do not believe
their wages have been raised accordingly.
The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees
and the Coalition of University Employees have both called for an
increase in wages, among other things, in their contracts.
AFSCME, which represents 7,300 UC service workers, has been in
contract negotiations with the UC for nearly a year.
CUE, which represents clerical workers, is also in a contract
dispute with the UC, and held a rally the previous week in
protest.
“Things are unimaginably worse now than ever,” said
Bert Thomas, a senior clerk at the Center for Health Sciences and a
UCLA representative for the CUE bargaining team who has worked at
UCLA for eight and a half years.
Thomas says his last wage increase was in the year 2000.
CUE published a fact-finding report in February that alleged the
UC diverted $20 million that had been set aside for clerical wage
increases.
Thomas recalls that for the past five to six years, the UC has
not shown an effort to encourage clerical workers to stay in their
jobs.
In bargaining meetings between CUE and the UC, Thomas said he
feels the UC’s position continues to be, “We’re
not giving you a raise because we don’t want to; you’re
not a priority.”
UC officials say they have no control over the funds they
receive, and cite recent cuts to the UC budget to explain why they
have not been able to give systemwide raises.
“We can’t control the cost of living in California,
but we do try to provide the most competitive wages and benefits
given our resources,” Van Nyhuis said. “We’re
trying to catch up.”
Members of AFSCME have been undergoing a prolonged bargaining
process with the UC.
“This relation (between AFSCME and the UC) has been
broken, basically,” said Ever Mazariegos, who has worked as a
care partner at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center for almost
seven years and is a member of AFSCME.
“The reason why many years ago the agreement was easy was
that only a few people were involved in the union,”
Mazariegos said.
“We had no voice. It was whatever the university
says.”
UC officials have repeatedly stated that they are unable to meet
the unions’ requests.