It has been brought to my attention that as the bargainer for Local 3, I need to begin to send bargaining reports to the entire jurisdiction.  Although, I have been giving reports to the Local Eboard and at the General Membership Meetings, I have been amiss in my duties to you by not sending out a jurisdictional email.  For that, I apologize.

We have been in negotiations with UC for over a year now.  Bargaining has been tenuous and arduous at times but CUE is working hard to get the best contract that we can for our members.  We are trying to get the most reasonable increase considering the economic times and the documented fact that members of CUE are receiving below market wages (and have been receiving for over 10 years).  We are in year seven of a 10 year commitment by the Regents to bring our salaries up to market rates.

We have tentatively agreed on several articles retaining current contract language, while improving and changing several others.  At the last session, we introduced a Benefits proposal that asked for the ability to apply for hardship deductions through the DCP, we are seeking shift differential increases, and an excellent wage proposal that included re-implementing steps based on longevity.  The piddly 1% offer that has been put on the table by UC is degrading, when compared to the extremely high salary increases of UC's top executives that receive increases ranging from 25-110%.

Recently, CUE was able to get UC's attention by obtaining more than 1000 signatures in two days with the online petition asking First Lady Michelle Obama to cancel her inaugural commencement speech at UC Merced. (The White House also took notice.) Even though, we admire and respect the First Lady, our issue was the amount of money being spent for the event ($700,000).  There were several of us that were able to go to Merced, we waved to First Lady Obama and it appeared as if she waved back to us, we heard her speech in person, and we flyered hundreds of cars with the message regarding Yudoff's $825,000 per year salary, along with the healthy pension donations UC makes to his pension.

It is going to take more actions such as this, informational picketing, and increasing the membership for UC to take us seriously.  Your support of our bargaining efforts is needed.  If you are not already a member of CUE, please join.  If you are a member become an activist. You will be sending UC a clear message that you support CUE, and that we are to be treated with respect and compensated fairly.

Negotiations will resume May 27-29 in Davis and June 1-3 at UCOP.   Anyone wanting to attend a session should contact Gloria Harlee in the CUE office (510-841-0700).

From:  Stephanie Dorton, Local 3 Bargainer