UC-AFT Librarians Ratify Side Letter Agreement on Merits and Pension Issues

On January 18, 2013, the Librarian members of the UC-AFT voted overwhelmingly to ratify a side letter agreement. The agreement includes the following:

The UC-AFT agrees to accept the new retirement system approved last year by the Regents and any other changes made to the benefit plans for the next seven years; and in exchange, the UC Administration agrees to pay the merit increases earned by about a third of the Librarian Unit (Unit 17) in 2012 retroactively back to last July 1st when they should have been paid. The Administration also agreed to take the language out of the Unit 17 Contract (Memorandum of Understanding or MOU) that had allowed them to withhold merit payments anytime Unit 17 was bargaining over salary issues. Librarians who earned merit increases in 2012 should see their pay increases and retroactive lump-sum payments within the next three months, but hopefully sooner.

The two parties further agreed to continue bargaining in good faith over salary, the merit process, the MOU articles pertaining to grievances, arbitration, and alternative dispute mechanisms, and several other issues. With respect to salary, the Administration also stated its agreement with the UC-AFT that at least some of the Librarians need increased salaries to keep up with the labor market for Librairans. (The UC-AFT believe that they all do!)

Anyone with questions about the Side Letter Agreement can contact Unit 17 Chief Negotiator, Mike Rotkin at mrotkin@ucaft.org or 831-345-8469.