From December 3rd – 5th, RPSPs and SSAPs met UC management for our third, collective negotiating session and our first marathon, multi-day session. RPSPs and SSAPs made the most of it by increasing the amount of Tentative Agreements to 12 (out of 43 currently-proposed articles) and discussing 21 separate articles in total.
This week was an especially significant milestone in our negotiations as we proposed articles on Wages, Retirement, and Health Benefits. The anxiety and suffering caused by years of stagnant wages, barriers to career growth, inaccessible and unaffordable healthcare, and a worsening retirement plan requires immediate action. Our articles aim to address these systemic issues by proposing:
- Wage Steps and Guaranteed Annual Increases – Our pay should go up as we gain experience in our roles, and wage steps make sure that happens on top of an annual, across-the-board adjustment that keeps up with inflation
- Improved Retirement Benefits and Options – We all deserve to retire in comfort and security, which is why we’ve proposed an employer-funded 403b account for all RPSPs and SSAPs to boost savings as well as the choice of stronger-tiered pension plans (lower employee contribution and earlier retirement) or savings choice plans with higher UC contributions
- Health Care Benefits You Can Afford and Use – Elimination of premiums, lower deductibles and out-of-pocket caps, practical mental health care benefits, and UC-funded HRAs to pay for costs not covered in your chosen plan/geographic area
These proposals reflect our basic principles of fair, healthy, and safe working conditions and the recognition that our labor is essential to the well-being of UC and California. Our demands are not about greed or selfishness, but rather sustainability and justice for all with the urgency the situation demands. After all, if UC can afford to give its president a six-digit raise and spend tens of millions of dollars on new homes for its chancellors this year, then surely, they can afford to pay us our worth!
Unfortunately, management’s response at the bargaining table has been anything but fair or swift. The pressure from our recent proposals and especially our public rallies forced UC to schedule more dates, but they arrived with only a handful of proposals. They also failed to respond to the information requests we made that are critical for good faith bargaining over key issues such as compensation and healthcare. And even when they do engage, their movement is minimal, at best. It’s clear to us that they intend to stall and see if we’re serious about our demands. With a four-day bargaining session coming up December 16-19th, it’s time to tell UC to start bargaining in good faith and negotiate a fair contract!
It’s going to take each of us doing our part to win the compensation and contract we deserve. Here’s what you can do between now and the 16th:
- Sign up for a short “CAT” (Contract Action Team) training to learn how to stay up-to-date, talk to your coworkers, and participate in the bargaining process
- Take the Retirement and Healthcare Benefits Survey to share your priorities and help inform decision-making in our bargaining over benefits
- Talk to at least two of your coworkers and make sure they join you in #1 and #2
As always, the online Bargaining Tracker has all the details for your review.
