UC, union still deadlocked
By Jennifer Carcamo
Jan. 15, 2009 9:54 p.m.
Contract negotiations between the University of California and UC workers have continued for over a year, but while both sides continue to propose solutions, a final decision has yet to be made.
William Schlitz, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees spokesman, said UC workers remain unsatisfied with the lack of negotiations that have been followed through.
Human Resources and Labor Relations Coordinator Nicole Savickas, from the UC Office of the President, said the university agrees that service employees deserve wage increases and good benefits. She added that the UC’s proposals to the union so far reflect their interests in providing these employees with a solid contract.
Savickas added that the contract would include increasing the value of their offer by over $20 million over the course of bargaining.
The union has not met with the UC since November 2008, and AFSCME “has made little movement off of its initial demands,” she said.
AFSCME has been trying to gain support from different groups by hosting conferences at multiple UCs and having behind-the-scenes talks to try to put negotiations back on the table, said Lakesha Harrison, president of AFSCME.
But the UC was disappointed in the way that AFSCME has “encouraged disruption of events rather than concentrating on meeting with (the UC) to reach agreement,” Savickas said.
She said that AFSCME is focusing more on gaining popularity and spreading the word than it is on continuous negotiation.
On Tuesday, Gloria Steinem, a feminist activist and organizer, cancelled an event at UCLA’s Hammer Museum after catching wind that nothing was being done to help the UC workers who are getting low wages, Schlitz said.
Steinem cancelled another event at UC Davis last week because of this cause and decided to withdraw again after seeing no progress.
“Steinem pulled from speaking because of the inability of the university to come with a fair and just contract with the service workers,” Schlitz said.
Schlitz added that the UC is giving pay raises to the executive officers instead of distributing a better paycheck to the workers who could use it more.
“It’s an issue of priority with the university. They are the richest public university in the world and they have the dimes to spare for their low-wage workers,” Schlitz said. “It’s just horrendous that 95 percent (of UC workers) can qualify for public welfare. … The university should be ashamed of itself.”
Savickas said that in light of the economic recession, the UC has had to make many economic decisions that will affect all of the UCs, one of which includes freezing the wage raises of the executive staff. Recently the UC Board of Regents announced that it will cut student admissions by 2,300.
Although the regents were reluctant to make this decision, they found it to be the only effective way to tackle the financial troubles the UC is facing during this time.
Savickas said, besides not being able to increase wages and benefits for workers, the UCs have also had to cut programs offered at the different UC campuses.
But Schlitz said that the UC is using the recession as a façade to not help the workers get higher wages.
The UC can afford to pay workers a few cents more for their work, he said.
Ending these negotiations depends on the UC’s willingness to cooperate and give back to its lower class workers, Schlitz said.
But with the economic recession, the UC can’t afford it right now, according to the UC Board of Regents.
“We’re just asking them to do what’s morally right and give a living wage. I don’t think that’s too much to ask,” Schlitz said.
