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Pre-Furlough Cuts Impacting Programs Across the UC System

Issues: 
Budget Crisis

Due to the funding status of Non-Senate Faculty in the UC system our positions are particularly vulnerable to reductions being implemented in response to the state's budget shortfall.  Our members are already facing widespread non-reappointment, reductions in time, and layoffs.  At this point, UC-AFT does not know the extent of pre-six NSF non-renewals for 2009, but we suspect the size of our unit will shrink dramatically.  We are beginning to receive very significant numbers of layoff notices for NSF with continuing appointments that will be effective at the beginning of Academic Year 2010/2011.
The impacts of these reductions go beyond our individual income and security.  Each cut to curriculum, requirements, courses and programs represents a degradation of the instructional mission at UC.  UC President Yudof is framing all of these cuts as a necessary remaking of the University of California to reflect a time when state funding cannot be relied upon for instructional operations. Yudof created The Commission on the Future of UC to guide the university on planning and implementation as we begin this period of retraction.  The Commission was announced on July 16, the same day the regents granted Yudof's emergency powers and accepted his furlough plan. According to commission co-chair, and UC Regent, Russell Gould, "We need to act now to ensure that, through the state's budget crisis and long-term pattern of disinvestment, we don't sacrifice one shred of quality of this university system.  We can do this. We are the very same people who create knowledge and innovation, and we intend to apply the same ingenuity and determination to shaping the future of this university."  Unfortunately, massive cuts to instruction appear to be prerequisite to the work of the commission.
What follows is a campus by campus compilation of all the cuts we know about to date.  We've gathered some of this information through informal communications with our members, and some through our contractual notice process for reduction in time and layoff of continuing lecturers.  We are fighting these cuts where ever we can.  In some cases, we've already saved jobs, or reduced the impacts on our members.  Please communicate with your local UC-AFT officers and staff as cuts on your campus are announced.
Berkeley
Davis
Santa Cruz
Merced
Santa Barbara
Los Angeles
Riverside
Irvine
San Diego
 
UC Berkeley

  • Physical Education Program has been reduced by 50%, all the lecturers agreed to take a 50% cut, which avoided the least senior people being laid off
  • French Department issued layoffs for this coming year, rescinded them, and then promptly reissued them for 2010-11
  • Comp Lit department laid off two people effective 2010-11
  • School of Engineering issued layoff notices for 2010-11 to its entire continuing faculty
  • East Asian Languages has lost most of its pre-six faculty
  • Celtic Studies has issued a layoff or reduction notice to a CA for 2010-2011

The L&S Dean's Office reports that there are about 1/3 fewer lecturer appointments at the moment. They are expecting some last minute hires, once the budget is clearer.  The EVCP eliminated the IAS Deanship in January, and is consolidating administrative roles. It is not at all clear that this is a budgetary savings. UC-AFT has been vociferous in protecting the large Teaching Program, including its 2 Senior Lecturers, 2 continuing lecturers, and 15 or so regular lecturers. 
 
UC Davis

  • Comparative Literature laid off one continuing appointee

UC Santa Cruz

  • Information pending

UC Merced

  • No information

UC Santa Barbara

  • Music- Laid off guitar lecturer and ended guitar instruction, cancelled theory courses and laid off theory lecturer
  • Drama Dance- Cut several courses
  • Korean Language Program- Program cancelled,  2 lecturers laid off effective July 1, 2010, these NSF were partially reinstated due to union grievance settlement

UC Los Angeles

  • Sixty-seven continuing appointment lecturers in the College of Letters and Sciences have been given layoff notices with effective dates of August 1, 2010.
  • Sociology:  2 lecturers given 1 year layoff notice eff 2010-11
  • Teacher Education:  1 lecturer reduced from 100% to 50%
  • School of Engineering:  1 lecturer laid off effective April 2010; 10 lecturers given appointment reductions effective this Fall 2009
  • Asian Languages & Cultures:  For first year Japanese, Korean and Chinese the first year enrollments are being reduced from 160 students down to 60.  The department only wants to offer language instruction to those enrolled in a department minor and major.  There is talk of eliminating the foreign language requirement. 
  • Summer Session:  Asian Language TA's were reduced from 100% to 50%.  Lecturers are expected to pick up the slack. 
  • Writing Program:  Class size was increased from 20 to 25 students. 

UC Riverside

  • Campus is withholding almost all reappointment letters (fewer than 10 people campuswide have received annual reappointment letters, out of approximately 150 pre-6 lecturers).  We have filed a grievance over failure to make a good faith effort to meet the June 15 deadline.  

UC Irvine

  • Laid off 37 continuing appointees in sciences and social sciences

UC-AFT has filed several grievances over layoffs at UCI on the basis that preemptive layoffs are arbitrary and capricious.  
UC San Diego

  • No cuts in programs, no lay-offs or reductions in time for Continuing Appointees, some reductions in time for pre-six NSF.