UC Announces Union Deal: Wages Up for Two-Tier Pension

UC, clerical union reach five-year agreement

Date: 2011-12-12

Contact: University of California Office of the President

Phone: (510) 987-9200

OAKLAND — The University of California announced today (Dec. 12) that it has finalized a five-year agreement with the Coalition of University Employees on wages, benefits and other issues for more than 12,500 clerical staff.

"We are pleased our clerical unit is finally under contract. The efforts between CUE-Teamsters and the university produced a fair agreement where both sides made difficult choices," said Dwaine B. Duckett, vice president of systemwide human resources. "We are particularly pleased they proactively came to the table with us to reach agreement on the new pension tier."

A tentative accord between UC and CUE was reached Nov. 4. CUE members voted on the agreement from Nov. 18 to Dec. 9. The ratified agreement is effective through Nov. 30, 2016.

Highlights of the contract include:

Wages

To make salaries more market-competitive, employees will receive a 3 percent wage increase for the 2011-12 fiscal year retroactive to July. There will be an annual 3 percent wage increase for the next three years, and a 2 percent increase for the final contract year of 2015-16.

Step increases will be given to eligible employees based on years of service and performance.

Health and welfare benefits

Employees will continue to receive excellent health care benefits and pay the same rates as the general UC employee population.

UC will continue to pay the bulk of health insurance premium costs, on average about 87 percent.

If premiums increase by 20 percent or less for the Health Net Blue and Gold and Kaiser medical plans, employees will pay the increase. If premiums for these two plans rise by more than 20 percent, UC will pay the difference.

Pension benefits

Employees will contribute to the UC Retirement Plan at the same rate as the general UC employee population. Contributions will be 3.5 percent of pay retroactive to July 1, 2011; 5 percent of pay starting July 1, 2012; and 6.5 percent starting July 1, 2013. If new rates are approved for 2014 and 2015, CUE members will pay the same rates as the general employee population.

UC is increasing its contributions as well. It began contributing 7 percent this year, up from 4 percent. The university plans to increase that amount to 10 percent on July 1, 2012, and to 12 percent on July 1, 2013.

CUE members hired after July 1, 2013 will fall under the new pension benefit tier — the same one that applies to unrepresented faculty and staff — in which employees will contribute 7 percent of pay.

The contract also covers work-related conditions such as parking and grievance resolution.

The UC-CUE agreement marks the end of negotiations that began in May 2008 and included the assistance of a state-appointed mediator.

Source: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/26805

Look for UC Exec Pay Headlines Soon

The Regents are meeting this week. (We expect to have the audio of the prior meeting up soon on this site. Eventually, we will have the audio for this one, too.) Anyway, look for headlines about senior executive pay at UC in the next day or so. One of the items on the Regents’ agenda today:

The last comprehensive study conducted on compensation for chancellors was completed in 2008. Given changes in market hiring practices, due to the mounting economic pressures on universities nationwide to watch expenses while still recruiting and retaining leadership, an updated comprehensive study of chancellors’ pay is necessary. Pursuant to a request by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Regents’ Committee on Compensation, the Office of the President intends to undertake a comprehensive review of the compensation paid to chancellors at other universities. Once the study and analysis is finalized, the details will be presented in open session at a meeting of the Board of Regents in 2012.

From http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/sept11/c1.pdf

Tomorrow’s meeting will include pay decisions for various senior execs. Those decisions – technically recommendations - are to be approved today in closed session. At tomorrow’s open session, they will be revealed.

A blog from the Sacramento Bee reports:

… Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, goes before the University of California Board of Regents this morning to deliver a letter from lawmakers asking the regents to use money earmarked in the state budget to keep low-wage workers out of poverty. Workers and students will also be taking the message this evening to San Francisco's Kokkari restaurant, co-owned by regent George Marcus.

Note: Yee is running for mayor of San Francisco. News reports suggest he is in an uphill battle with the incumbent mayor.

The full item – which includes other news – is at http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/09/am-alert-jerry-brown-fitness-medal-of-valor-nurses.html

We will keep you posted on other Regents items that may emerge. In the meantime:

Update: Here are the pay boosts http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/09/uc-panel-approves-raises-for-h.html

A Zenger Zinger from Yours Truly

The Sacramento Bee has published an updated listing of state salaries including UC. You can find it at http://www.sacbee.com/statepay/ In the past, yours truly has corresponded with officials of newspapers who publish such lists asking them to publish their own payroll – by name/salary – down to the lowest paid worker. I won’t bother with such correspondence this time, although the danger of ID theft remains. However, if you feel motivated, here are the contacts of the two senior executives of the Bee:

Cheryl Dell, Publisher & President: 916-321-1885 cdell@sacbee.com

Joyce Terhaar, Editor and Senior Vice President: 916-321-1004 jterhaar@sacbee.com

You might ask them - if they won't do their entire payroll - to publish at least their own personal salaries and those of the senior leadership of the parent company of the Bee, McClatchy. Surely, Bee readers would be interested and surely they have their own payroll information. You won’t get anywhere, of course. But it will give them a chance to put themselves in the company of John Peter Zenger, shown above, which is the usual response, so they shouldn't be too annoyed. (Google "Zenger" if the name is unfamiliar.)



For more, check out http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/to-post-or-not-to-post-a-question-111317.aspx