Annual report shows UC employee salaries still lagging behind market

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The University of California’s payroll grew 4 percent to $11.7 billion last year, but it says its employees’ salaries are still significantly below market, according to its annual data report released Wednesday.

In its annual employee compensation report, the UC said its payroll grew because of increased enrollment at the University and a 3 percent pay raise given to non-unionized staff and a 2 percent pay raise given to faculty last year, which was given to offset pension increases.

But UC salaries as a whole are still below market, the UC said. According to its 2014 budget report released in November, faculty pay at the UC is about 11 percent lower than that of other similar institutions, partly due to decreased state funding. The report said many staff – more non-unionized employees than unionized ones – are also paid below the market level.

A delay in the implementation of a plan proposed in 2005 to raise salaries for the faculty and staff by 22 percent over six years as well as a lack of salary hikes challenge the UC in retaining its faculty and staff, according to the analysis.

While staff and faculty not represented by unions received a 3 percent pay raise Tuesday, those raises were given to offset the rising pension contributions they have to pay, the UC said in its report. UC faculty and staff previously received a 3 percent pay raise in 2011 and a 3 percent pay raise in 2013 also to offset pension increases.

While the UC’s payroll grew, University research expenditures declined by over 2 percent because of the federal sequester cuts in March last year.

The UC said its medical system paid for the large part of its compensation, as 37 percent of the UC’s salaries were funded with clinical revenues from UC hospitals. Tuition and state funds paid for about 23 percent of the total compensation, about a 0.5 percent decrease from last year.

About 35 percent of the UC’s total compensation went to medical staff and clinical faculty, while about 12 percent of the total compensation went to teaching faculty, as well as about 6 percent for research purposes.

UC President Janet Napolitano received $242,484 for the 2013 calendar year, as she officially assumed her role in September. She is to earn $570,000 as a base salary for the entire year, along with other allowances and a University-leased house. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block received $424,916 for the year.

The UC’s 10 highest-paid employees in 2013 were athletic coaches and clinical faculty:

• $2,639,609: UCLA’s Steve Alford, men’s basketball head coach
• $2,442,860: UC Berkeley’s Jeff Tedford, former football head coach
• $2,410,128: UCLA’s Jim Mora, football head coach
• $2,370,739: UC Berkeley’s Sonny Dykes: football head coach
• $2,315,078: UCLA’s Ben Howland, former basketball head coach
• $2,232,184: UCLA’s Dr. Ronald Busuttil, distinguished professor and UCLA Department of Surgery executive chairman
• $1,750,000: UC San Francisco’s Dr. Gordon Cohen, professor and UCSF Department of Surgery vice-chair
• $1,743,376: UC Berkeley’s Mike Montgomery, former basketball head coach
• $1,721,646: UC San Francisco’s Dr. Timothy McCalmont, professor of pathology and dermatology and co-director of UCSF Dermatopathology Service
• $1,552,254: UCLA’s Dan Guerrero, athletic director

Compiled by Jeong Park, Bruin senior staff.

Correction: Four UCLA athletic employees were among the highest paid in the UC.