By Chris Goodmacher
Daily Bruin Contributor
The University Professional and Technical Employees union and
the University of California have been in contract negotiations for
six months.
As yet unresolved, the negotiations came to a head last Thursday
when union members marched on the UCLA Medical Center, demanding
that Dr. Michael Karpf, director of the medical center, and Dr.
Gerald Levey, provost of medical sciences, address their
concerns.
“We want the leadership of this hospital to influence
labor relations to move toward a fair and equitable
agreement,” said Wendy Mullen, a healthcare bargaining
representative for UPTE.
Maure Gardner, manager of labor relations for UCLA health care,
said management would prefer to address staff problems through
“legally established mechanisms for labor management
relations,” such as a forum.
Contract negotiations for the three units of employees UPTE
represents ““ technical, health care and research workers
““ have been in negotiation since June.
Negotiations for each unit of employees are for all UC employees
in the group.
“We targeted the UCLA Medical Center because employees
from all three of our units work there,” said Cliff Fried,
executive vice president of UPTE.
The hospital march was part of a statewide action by UPTE that
took different forms throughout the UC system, according to
Fried.
According to UC spokesman Dan Kier, UPTE health care employees
are demanding a 7 percent yearly raise, with merit raises and
raises for certain underpaid jobs.
The UC is offering a 2.8 percent yearly raise for employees
making less than $40,000 a year, and a 1.8 percent yearly raise for
employees making $40,000-80,000 a year.
Also on the table is a 1.5-6.5 percent merit raise and raises
for certain underpaid jobs.
Merit raises vary depending on job performance, and the raises
for certain underpaid jobs are based on market value and are for
certain employees whose wages lag behind the market, Kier said.
Research employees are demanding a 10 percent yearly raise
across the board, compared with the 2.3-4.3 percent raises the UC
is offering. The university is also offering merit raises averaging
3 percent.
Technical employees are demanding 7 percent yearly raises plus
merit raises.
The UC is putting up 4.8 percent for employees making less than
$40,000 a year, and a 3.8 percent yearly raise for employees making
$40,000-80,000 a year, plus merit raises which average 5 percent a
year.
“Everybody gets some kind of merit raise,” Kier
said. “How large it is depends on their review.”
Health care and research employees are renegotiating only their
wages, while technical employees began renegotiating their whole
contract in anticipation of its running out, which it did in
September.
“There are 40 articles in the contract, we re-opened 20 of
them,” said Steve Perlmutter, senior studio projectionist and
bargaining representative for the technical employees. “We
felt they really had problems in the language.”
A number of key issues for UPTE health care employees include
moving from merit-based pay to across the board increases for
employee, Mullen said.
They also hope to settle the issue of topping out in which their
merit raises are limited.
“I’ve been here eight years, I topped out about four
years ago,” Perlmutter said.
The UC recently settled with other employee groups represented
by the Federated University Police Office Association, Coalition of
Union Employees, and American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees unions and several months ago with the
California Nurses Association union.
According to Fried, these workers have received increases across
the board ranging from 5.5 percent to 6.8 percent.
“Those wage increases were spread out over a three-year
contract,” Kier said. “You can’t make a straight
across comparison.”
Negotiators meet on average every two weeks for about three days
at a time, alternating sites between northern and southern
California.
There is a $1.9 billion unrestricted fund the university could
use to increase wages, according to Fried.
“It has the name unrestricted because of the type of fund
it is, which receives money and pays money, it’s an
accounting term,” Kier said. “It goes to operation and
pays for things like parking services.
“There’s no $1.9 billion sitting around every
year,” he continued.
Accusing the UC of unfair bargaining practices, Fried said UPTE
“will be filing a charge against UC for failure to bargain in
good faith in the near future.”
Kier was unable to comment on the union’s allegations when
he was reached because of a lack of time.
Fried also cited a high turnover rate for employees as an
example of employee dissatisfaction.
“The university is aware of the retention problem. We
believe we have very strong offers on the table,” Kier said.
“Combined with merit, many yearly raises are 7-8 percent. We
believe this will help retention problems.”
Both UC and UPTE representatives are hoping for a conclusion to
negotiations by the beginning of next year.
“The things we have on the table are pretty important to
us,” Perlmutter said. “We’re not going to back
down so easily.”