UC-AFT Insider December 2008
To UC‐AFT‐represented faculty and librarians:
Below please find the first installment of the UC‐AFT Insider. This is an electronic newsletter
that will issue each month during the academic year to update you on the union's activities and
other items of interest. The Insider is prepared by UC‐AFT's new Director for Communication
and Education, Bill Quirk. Please direct any comments, feedback, or ideas for future news items
to Bill at aftquirk@rain.org.
Karen Sawislak
Executive Director, UC‐AFT
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UC‐AFT Insider
December 1, 2008
In this issue:
• Librarian bargaining update
• November 19th Regent’s meeting‐ rallies in San Francisco, Riverside and Santa Cruz
• UCLA appointments‐After thousands in backpay...is the problem solved?
• UC budget update‐ Most recent release from UCOP
Librarian bargaining update
The librarian bargaining team met twice with UC negotiators during the month of November.
The first two days of negotiations were devoted to UC‐AFT presentations on salary inequities
and their effect on recruitment and retention, UC funding sources that could be used to bring
UC librarians to wage parity with CSU librarians, and the critical need for better professional
development funding to keep librarians competitive in their field. More information on librarian
bargaining can be found here: http://www.cft.org/uploads/uc/docs/talkptslib.pdf
Meanwhile, librarians at UC Riverside have collected over 2,000 signatures on petitions from
students, lecturers, senate faculty, and administrators over the past two months in support of
more competitive salaries for UC librarians. They accomplished this by staffing a table outside
the front door of one of the libraries for 1‐2 hours, two days a week. Librarians on other
campuses have begun tabling, collecting signatures on the petition, holding interviews on
campus radio, and meeting with chancellors. To hear a live streaming interview with UC‐AFT
Chief Negotiator, Mike Rotkin and UCSB Librarian Gary Colmenar, on the KCSB radio show No
Alibis, visit: http://www.kcsb.org/ at 9:15am on Wednesday December 3rd.
UC Union Coalition rally at Regent’s meeting
At 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 19, a long line of UC union members, students, and
community members, formed outside the auditorium in the community center building at the
UCSF Mission Bay Campus. They were there to speak during the public comment period, and to
protest various UC policies and practices, including student fee hikes, wage inequities, medical
center closures and the start of pension contributions without shared governance of the
pension fund. Two members of UC‐AFT spoke during public comment about issues facing UC
libraries and librarians. An impromptu protest broke out when the Regents refused to
extend the public comment period. Some campuses held rallies in support of those attending
the Regent’s meeting. Librarians at UC Riverside marched around the Bell Tower and through
the new Commons with members of UPTE, CUE, and AFSCME carrying picket signs and
distributing flyers to educate students about current negotiations. The union coalition at UCSC,
University Labor United (ULU) held a demonstration at the main entrance to the campus.
Twenty to thirty members of the campus unions, including 10 or so UC‐AFT Lecturers and
Librarians, came out for the early morning action. They carried signs and passed out leaflets to
faculty, staff and students entering the campus. It was a lively, informative, and effective action,
showing the unity of all of the UC unions at UCSC. For a first hand account of the rally at the
Regent’s meeting, visit: http://berkeleyaft.org/
UCLA appointments and salary increases: Problem solved?
UC‐AFT officers and staff at UCLA have spent countless hours over the last year investigating late
appointments, and associated late pay increases. We found much more than we anticipated. To
date, we’ve identified nearly one dozen individuals who were not given their merit increase,
some more than one, going back six or more years. We’ve also identified dozens of individuals
who haven’t received their annual cost of living increases, or whose continuing appointment
was granted 1 month to 1.5 years late. All of these issues cost our members money. We are in
the process of ensuring back pay for all those affected. We’ve learned that UCLA department
MSO’s and academic personnel managers are often not given adequate training on the Unit 18
contract, and oversight at the College level has been very poor. Please contact your local staff
or steward if you have any questions regarding your appointment and pay. Follow this link to
read an article by UC‐AFT President and UCLA lecturer, Bob Samuels, on the UCLA appointments
issue.
http://www.cft.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=315:uc‐aft‐
perspective&catid=6:universities&Itemid=25
UC budget update
A recent UCOP release mentions the possibility of hiring more lecturers in lieu of tenure track
faculty as a result of state budget cuts. The link below leads to the most recent announcement
from UCOP on the status of the budget.
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/19016
LA Times article‐UC asks state for bigger budget to avoid fee hikes
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la‐me‐uc21‐2008nov21,0,941418.story
To become a member of UC‐AFT, please fill out the attached membership form, or download
one from our website, and mail it to the address on the bottom of the form.