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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 25, 2005
Noel Van Nyhuis (510) 287-3356
noel.vannyhuis@ucop.edu


UC IMPLEMENTS FINAL OFFER REGARDING PAST WAGES AND BENEFITS FOR CLERICAL EMPLOYEES

On Thursday, March 24, the University of California informed the Coalition of Union Employees, the union representing university clerical employees, that it will implement its last, best and final contract proposal of March 3 to bring to an end negotiations over 2003-04 wages, benefits and parking rates.

The university has been bargaining with CUE over these issues since July 2003, including recent fact-finding proceedings. To respond to some of the union's requests and in an attempt to reach an agreement, UC agreed to include in its final offer a 10 percent wage increase for police dispatchers at the UC Irvine campus, and a two percent increase for clerical workers in the nutrition services department at UC San Diego Medical center. The union rejected the university's final offer, stating its disappointment with the compromise offered by the university.

Under the law, the university is permitted to implement its final offer since all the stages of the bargaining process, including fact-finding, have been completed.

"While the university would have preferred a mutual agreement with the union, we've compromised as much as resources allow, and it's now time to focus on current negotiations for a new contract and the promise of increased salary funding that the new budget compact offers," said Howard Pripas, UC's executive director of labor relations.

In addition to implementing the Irvine and San Diego wage increases, the university will continue its benefits programs and contribution levels, and it will implement parking increases with April 2005 earnings.

Lack of state funding has prevented the university from offering across-the-board increases to employees throughout the UC system, including clerical workers, for the last two years. As a result, salaries for many employee groups throughout the UC system are lagging behind the market. Fortunately, UC's new budget compact with the governor provides for increased salary funding, which, if supported by the Legislature, should allow UC to begin to reverse that trend.

CUE received a formal reprimand from the fact-finding panel for its repeated misconduct during the fact-finding phase of the negotiations, including the union's illegal publicizing of the panel's report. The university has filed an unfair labor practice against CUE for its behavior and is currently awaiting a response from the Public Employment Relations Board.

The university has taken several measures to help reward all employees for their continued dedication and contributions, especially during the last two years of tight budgets and no systemwide salary increases. These efforts include adopting a salary-based approach to health insurance premiums in which lower paid staff pay less, giving employees multiple deferred retirement income programs that will boost their future income, and offering employees additional paid time off this past holiday season.

For more information regarding the university's negotiations with CUE, go to:

http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/employees/policies/labor_relations/index.html

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