UC-AFT Submits RFI for Unit 17 Furlough Participation

I write today to update you again as to what we know about UC's furlough plans.

Much remains very unclear. We have NOT received any substantive response to the information request we filed on July 23, 2009 on behalf of both units. It is dismaying that UC issued a request to bargain, and then has failed to provide any of the details we need to respond to their request in an informed manner. (To review the information request, please see UC-AFT Information Request).

Because of UC's lack of responsiveness, we are still unsure about how the furlough plan will affect our units. One thing we can tell you for certain is that furloughs will NOT begin for our units on September 1 (as they will for unrepresented employees), since UC cannot unilaterally impose furloughs upon the people we represent.

Lecturers: We have had some indication that UC may drop its efforts to include lecturers in the furlough plan, because it is very unclear as to how furloughs can be implemented for employees who have only instructional duties. However, this possible exemption for Unit 18 remains uncertain.

Librarians: On the other hand, we believe that our librarians will face layoffs if we do not agree to a furlough plan for them. The Librarian Bargaining Committee has agreed to return to mediation on September 9. The furlough plan will be discussed at that meeting, and we expect to have much more concrete news for Unit 17 after that session.

Vote of No-Confidence: UC-AFT continues to challenge UC's decisionmaking in regard to the state budget shortfall. As we all know too well, the educational mission of the University is being starved, while profit-making divisions of the giant UC enterprise are not being tapped to fund UC's core function of teaching its students. In addition, UC is demanding disproportionate and unfair sacrifices from its lower-paid workers, while it allows money to continue to flow to the most-highly compensated. This is an unprecedented attack on both the work of our units and the careers and livelihoods of our members.

We are working together with Senate faculty and student groups to protect undergraduate education and to force UC to have a more transparent budget and budgeting process.

With other UC unions, UC-AFT is supporting the Vote of No Confidence in President Mark Yudof, which will take place on all campuses between August 26 and September 3. A statement of the principles behind this vote can be view at: Unions Call for Vote. We will be sending more information to you about this action very soon.

In addition, UC-AFT President Bob Samuels has been an especially active voice in the call to protect UC's educational mission. For example, see Bob's recent interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education:

Terminating California

See as well the many analyses of the UC budget and salary structure on Bob's blog, Changing Universities:

Changing Universities

We will continue to update you as we become aware of any new information.

Karen Sawislak
Executive Director, UC-AFT
ksawislak@ucaft.org