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UC-AFT President Bob Samuels Talks with Janet Napolitano

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Dear UC-AFT colleagues, 

On September 23rd, I had an hour-long meeting with President Napolitano and the UC VP, Dwaine Duckett.   Part of the conversation dealt with how the campuses are being funded in an inequitable way, and I suggested that revenue generated from non-resident students be shared with the campuses that have been historically underfunded (UCR, UCSC and UCSB).  I also stressed that our main focus is on undergraduate education and I described how underfunding has undermined the quality of instruction in the UC system.
 
During the meeting, I got the president to commit to consider giving social security to our part-time members who don't have access to the pension plan.   We also discussed online education, and the need for the university to calculate the cost of instruction for different levels of students.  I stressed the vital role librarians and lecturers play in the system, and the need to make sure that they are supported and reviewed in an effective and timely manner.  
 
President Napolitano was interested in my model for making public higher education free by coordinating the current institutional, national, and state systems of funding and aid.  We promised to work together to get the state to see how outcome and accountability measures must deal with quality and not just quantity. 

This year we will negotiate the full Unit 18 (lecturer) MOU.  As we push for an equitable statewide funding model for UC, we must also work together to strengthen our contract in ways that will improve job security and satisfaction, and hence, improve the quality of education at UC.  Please join our effort today by becoming a member of UC-AFT.  If you are already a member, help us connect with new hires and colleagues in your building.  Our strength at the bargaining table depends on the strength of our relationships within our departments and on our campuses.

In solidarity, 

Bob Samuels, President, UC-AFT