In the wake of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new budget
plan, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees met Tuesday to discuss the implications it will have on
their contract negotiations with the University of California.
AFSCME represents UCLA medical hospital workers, dining hall and
residence staff.
The plan proposed a 3 percent overall increase to the UC budget,
but it still is not clear where the UC will direct the additional
funds, which AFSCME is waiting to see.
“Our hope is that the UC will pass part of it through for
our members … without trying to skim some for their bureaucracy,
but that remains to be seen. They haven’t signaled their
intention,” said Hays Witt, an AFSCME organizer for Local
3299.
AFSCME is unhappy with another change in the budget, which
changes state employees pensions from a defined benefit plan with
“predictability and certainty to a defined contribution plan
where the university would put in a certain amount of money and the
money is gambled in the stock market,” Witts said.
“Depending how it goes, workers have either a very good or
bad retirement,” he added.
Overall, AFSCME is disappointed with the budget, not only for
what it means for workers, but also what it means for their
families and students across Southern California.
Though AFSCME did not see their problems answered in the budget
plan, the UC saw Monday’s budget proposal as a positive
welcome to the negotiations between itself and AFSCME.
A budget compact that was introduced between the UC and the
governor would allow for regular pay raises for UC workers if it is
passed by the Legislature, said Noel Van Nyhuis, a spokesman for
the UC Office of the President.
“We are very pleased the governor supports the compact,
which does have provisions for salary increases for all employees.
… Salaries have been suffering due to recent budget cuts. It is a
very welcome relief,” Van Nyhuis said.
“What (AFSCME) will receive in terms of increases still
has to be negotiated,” he said.
“There is still some light at the end of the
tunnel.”
AFSCME and the UC have been in negotiations over contract
renewals for nearly the past seven months.
AFSCME union organizers have been planning their next step in
the process.
“There is a lot going on in campus housing and dining in
scheduling. We are trying to change some of the contract
language,” said Nicole Moore, an organizer for AFSCME.
Staff members are having their schedules changed on them
unexpectedly, she said.
“We want to make the (contract) language stronger so if
they have been here a while, they will have some say in these
things,” Moore said.
Workers at the UCLA Medical Center have been running on
“skeleton crews (and) as a result, one of the things that is
happening is workers are being pressured to come into work
regardless of if they are ill,” Moore said.
“They are being abused.”
She said she foresees that AFSCME will be making changes to
ensure their workers are treated properly in the weeks ahead.
Though the new budget has now been proposed, neither the UC nor
AFSCME can predict when the negotiations will be completed.