UC-AFT Insider June 2009
UC‐AFT Insider
June 1, 2009
The UC‐AFT Insider will take a summer hiatus. We will send our next issue at the start of the fall
quarter. Thank you for following the union’s activities this year. Have a great summer.
In this issue:
• New Legislation to Limit UC’s Autonomy?
• Should UC Compete with the Private Sector for Top Tier Managers?
• Proposed Policy and Guidelines for Implementation of Furloughs and Salary Cuts
• UC‐AFT Membership at Merced Rises Above 40%
• UC‐AFT Excellence Review Workshop‐ Demystifying the Sixth Year Review
• Know Your Rights‐ Unemployment Insurance for Non‐Senate Faculty
New Legislation to Limit UC’s Autonomy?
State Senators Yee and Romero, along with a few republican legislators, introduced SBA 21 last
week. This proposed constitutional amendment would limit the autonomy historically enjoyed
by UC by making the university subject to state statues similar to the CSU and California
Community Colleges. UC is portraying the bill as a takeover by the legislature. Senators Yee and
Romero, and the handful of UC unions supporting the bill, see the amendment as a long overdue
measure for accountability and transparency at UC. Follow the links below for more on this
story, including the actual text of the proposed constitutional amendment.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la‐me‐uc28‐2009may28,0,3431789.story
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi‐bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/27/BAV917RGDU.DTL
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09‐10/bill/sen/sb_0001
0050/sca_21_bill_20090526_introduced.pdf
Should UC Compete with the Private Sector for Top Tier Managers?
Across the board, UC rank and file worker pay lags the market. Yet, UC managers continue to
grant exorbitant executive compensation packages with market rate justifications. Are these
managers worth the money? These are the managers who have blown a huge surplus in the
pension fund, who’ve lost national lab contracts, and who’ve allowed our libraries to drop in
national rankings. They pay themselves more, while the workers and students get less. Would
compensation packages that reflect public funding guarantee managers who would value the
core educational mission of the University? Probably not, but it would save the tax payers some
money.
Here’s a link to an opinion piece that suggests that UC as a public institution should reconsider
competing with the privates for the big money managers.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/story/1893611.html
Proposed Policy and Guidelines for Implementation of Furloughs and Salary Cuts
Unrepresented Comment Period Ends‐ UC Must Negotiate any Changes with Unions
A proposed policy would allow President Yudof to declare a financial emergency and begin to
implement furloughs, or salary reductions. The official comment period for the draft guidelines
ended on June 1 for unrepresented staff. Represented employees, including Lecturers and
Librarians, have the benefit of mandatory negotiations for any change UC proposes to our
existing contracts. Please share your response to the draft guidelines with your local UC‐AFT staff
and executive board. Here are links to a UC statement on furloughs, and to the draft policy and
guidelines:
http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/news/general/0905‐furloughs_cuts.html
http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/senate/underreview/Furloughs‐
Salary%20Cuts_Complete%20Posting.pdf
UC‐AFT Membership at Merced Rises Above 40%
UC‐AFT Local 6366 Merced has set their sights on 50% membership. In the last few weeks, the
Local surpassed their short term goal of reaching 40% membership. Organizing committee
members are confident that they will reach their 50% goal early in the coming academic year.
Congratulations to all the members involved in the organizing effort at Merced!
Excellence Review Workshop‐ Demystifying the Sixth Year Review
UC‐AFT provides a workshop focused on preparation for the sixth year review. This workshop is
designed to help pre‐six lecturers understand the excellence review process and criteria. We
discuss materials preparation and best practices for a successful review. Lecturers who have
taught 9 quarters, or 6 semesters in a given department are encouraged to attend. All pre‐6
lecturers are welcome. Please contact your field representative to schedule a workshop on your
campus.
Know Your Rights‐ Unemployment Insurance for Non‐Senate Faculty
Non‐Senate Faculty are eligible to collect unemployment during breaks between quarters or
semesters, and summer break, unless they have “reasonable assurance” of a job when classes
resume. Any written promise of employment that is subject to cancellation due to low
enrollment or for any other reasons is not “reasonable assurance.” A long court battle resulted
in the precedent setting Cervisi decision in 1989, which held that an assignment that is
contingent on enrollment, funding, or other program changes is not a reasonable assurance of
employment, and therefore benefits cannot be denied for that reason. For detailed information
on your rights to U.I., and the application process, including a sample appeal letter, check out the
links below.
http://www.cpfa.org/unemployment.html
http://www.calfac.org/unemployment.html
http://www.cpfa.org/bezemek.html
Membership
If you have not already joined the union, please fill out the attached membership form, or
download one from our website. You are represented by UC‐AFT, but representation and
deductions from your pay do not mean that you are automatically a member. You can mail the
completed application to the address on the bottom of the form, or contact your local staff for
assistance.
http://www.cft.org/uploads/uc/docs/memberform.pdf
The University Council – American Federation of Teachers is an affiliate of the California
Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers and the AFLCIO.