NEGOTIATIONS

Please remember that the full contract is open and subject to bargaining. The SW bargaining team has been negotiating since April 2008. Proposals and discussions between CUE and UC are continuing about numerous Articles and Sections. When the contract will be settled is unknown. Next bargaining dates are July 28 & 29 at LBNL; August 4 & 5, UCSD.

WAGE CUTS / FURLOUGHS

We've all seen and heard the basic wage cut approach that UC wants to take. CUE and UC met for negotiations July 16 & 17 - UC negotiators did not give the CUE bargaining team a written proposal at the table.

Without seeing an actual written proposal, we can't know for sure what UC will propose. Based on the Regent's J2 document, here's what we believe the central elements of it will be:

Depending on the gross salary, UC wants wage cuts ranging from 4% to 10% (for staff earning $240,000 annual or more). Furloughs range from 11 to 26 days "off". We believe this will be a straight wage cut proposal - that's why you're reading messages that refer to furlough days being "paid".

We anticipate that if this is UC's actual proposal and if the proposal became reality, UC management, either by campus or system-wide, would then "give" CUE workers furlough days, but they would in fact be paid, because CUE workers would pay for them with the wage cut.

LAYOFFS

Between August 2008 and May 2009, about 30 CUE workers have been laid off. UCSC can lay us off regardless of the situation with wage cuts and regardless of whether CUE does or does not agree to them. We are hearing that many workers are being told directly that if CUE does not agree to the wage cuts, there will be layoffs. It's important to understand that there have already been layoffs and we believe there will be more, regardless of the position the Union takes at the bargaining table.

BARGAINING IN THE FUTURE

Any and all of these kinds of proposals, down to the last detail, must be negotiated between the parties. Proposals are exchanged repeatedly. That process takes a lot of work and a lot of time. If the parties mutually agree they can go no further and cannot reach agreement, impasse is declared, a mediator (third party neutral) comes in to try to get agreement and if there is still no agreement, the process goes to fact-finding before a (neutral) hearing officer. Only after a finding of fact, regardless of what it is, can UC then impose its final offer on the union. This process could take quite a bit of time, maybe months.

SOME CONCLUSIONS

• As anxious as this situation is, we do not expect wage cuts to be immediate.


• The SW bargaining committee is comprised of CUE members just like yourselves, so any wage cuts, furloughs, layoffs affect them too. They are not immune from UC's proposals.


• Local 10's overall view is that any wage cuts, furloughs or layoffs are financially unnecessary. The state budget cuts have reduced UC's budget by 2% (our economist said .6%). We simply don't believe cutting our wages is the way to address the budget shortfall. With unrestricted reserves of nearly $6 billion, UC could direct some of that to each campus and protect us from job loss; protect students from tuition increases and program reductions; maintain enrollment and course offerings at their current levels.


• Take action:

Send Local 10 staff your opinions/views about the possible wage cuts, layoffs and other bargaining issues and we'll make sure the Chief Negotiator of the bargaining committee gets them. We'll also forward them to your Local 10 Executive Board.

Hold a worksite meeting to talk about these issues.

Attend the next Local 10 Executive Board meeting to hear updates from your bargaining representatives. The next meetings are: July 22; August 20; September 17.

Wear your CUE buttons and tee shirts to work once a week.

For more information or to schedule a worksite meeting, contact Nora Hochman, Local 10 Organizer/Representative, at nora@santacruzcue.org or call 831.420.0258. To communicate with Local 10 Executive Board members, send an email message to cueorganizer@cruzio.com.