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Bargaining Update #13 October 22, 2015 Santa Cruz

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Today we bargained in the Human Resources offices at UC Santa Cruz. We unloaded a huge amount of language on them: we passed proposals on the following Articles: 7a, 7b, 7c, 8, and 17.

In these proposals, we are fighting for:

  • annual appointments instead of term-by-term appointments;
  • notice of Union membership in appointment letters;
  • improved notice of appointment and reappointment;
  • information about the job requirements and standards of teaching excellence;
  • review, assessment, and mentoring for early career Lecturers
  • notice of future employment opportunities;
  • improved Lecturer representation in the hiring and reappointment processes;
  • improved contract enforcement language to eliminate “churning” of Lecturers;
  • larger salary increases in the fourth year of appointment;
  • improved notice for excellence reviews
  • reduced reliance on student evaluations in excellence reviews;
  • improved process for establishing need for continuing appointments;
  • protection Lecturers’ initial continuing appointment percentages;
  • language that requires the UC to count courses towards the Lecturers’ time to the excellence review in the same department when multiple departments are funding the course;
  • capping the time before continuing at 9 academic years;
  • allowing Lecturers to apply earlier service in a different department or on a different campus towards their excellence review timeline;
  • augmentation of the percentage time of current continuing Lecturers when new courses become available;
  • increased notice of reduction in time for continuing Lecturers;
  • increased notice of reduction in time when Lecturers might lose their benefits;

In addition, we are still fighting for the following:

  • listing Lecturers in the campus directories;
  • listing Lecturers in online schedule of classes;
  • listing Lecturers on departmental websites;
  • including Lecturers in department signage;
  • better grievance procedure;
  • better arbitration procedure;
  • retirement benefits for all;
  • Social Security for all;
  • pregnancy leave;
  • child care stipends;
  • more professional development funds;
  • copyright protection for our course materials;
  • better instructional support: offices, computers, etc.;
  • higher salaries;
  • improved merit review processes;
  • arbitration for all workload grievances
  • language clarifying workload limits

Some of these we have achieved. Some are within our grasp. Some are far away. To get them all, we need your support. In Irvine and Los Angeles, local Lecturers have held rallies through the summer and during the start of Fall term. Last week in Riverside, Lecturers held three days of noon-time rallies. In Santa Cruz yesterday, Lecturers and students—180 strong—protested, marched, rode the bus, and participated in theater events and sing-alongs to convey our message to the UC: our work is education, and our working conditions determine the conditions of education in the University. Please join the 300 people who have participated so far—add your voice to the choir to support stable Lecturer appointments for all, fair benefits for all Lecturers, and a seat at the table for Lecturers as we help the University perform its core function: the education of the next generations of citizen scholars.