After thousands of UC employees in RPSP-UAW and other UAW unions organized a public pressure campaign to preserve funding to UC, California lawmakers just approved a budget that eliminates the proposed 8% cut to UC, restoring full funding at a time it is most needed. Following this collective success in preventing budget cuts and our petition to form RPSP-UAW, UC finally decided to grant a 3.2% wage increase. While 3.2% doesn’t exactly cover cost of living increases, I’m very relieved that we were able to secure a raise this year, and I look forward to joining our unionized colleagues who have annual wage increases guaranteed in their contracts!
While we celebrate the success of our advocacy at the state level, UC is already making other concerning changes that we will only have the power to address once we vote to form our union. UCSF’s School of Medicine – our largest school by far – just announced that all staff are expected to work in the office four days a week, and without a union we have no real influence over these changes. RPSPs know that increased wages are just one of the many priorities for negotiations with UC admin, including…
- Protecting ourselves from overwork and understaffing
- Improving protections for remote and hybrid workers and benefits/access for employees everywhere
- Preventing unilateral changes to our retirement plans
This is why I’m voting YES for RPSP-UAW in the upcoming election this summer. Show your support too by adding your name to our public letter alongside hundreds of your colleagues across job titles and campuses, and look out for an RSVP for our July Campus Town Halls next week! The topic: RPSP bargaining priorities.
In solidarity,
Rachel Do
Project Policy Analyst
UC Irvine
