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UPTE-CWA Members Hold One-Day Strike
Researchers and technical workers on all nine campuses of the University of California walked off the job and onto the picket line, May 26 demanding that the university free up available funds for raises to stem an alarming turnover rate of 33 percent.
Because of the high turnover, "the quality of research has declined," said Dominic Chan, systemwide director for University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119. "You can't find a cure for cancer if one-third of your researchers leave every year."
UPTE has been in bargaining for 10,000 researchers and technical employees across the state since May 2004. Their contract expired in September 2004. "The first wage proposal we got from them was last month, at the end of April," Chan said.
The union is seeking an immediate progression of step increases that will reward employees for their seniority, but the university does not want them to begin until January 2008.
UPTE-CWA has filed more than 15 charges with the state Public Employment Relations Board, the most serious maintaining that the university has refused to provide requested financial data on how much money it has saved because of the turnover rate, money the union says should go to improving wages.
"We feel UC's continued bad faith bargaining and violations of labor law are severely undermining our research standards," said Jelger Kalmijn, alcoholism researcher and systemwide president of UPTE-CWA. "Researcher salaries are 25 percent behind the private sector and we can't keep good people. They are leaving in droves."
"When good, experienced researchers leave, they take their knowledge with them," said Greg Severson, cancer researcher at UC San Diego's Cancer Center. "It takes at least six to 12 months to train new researchers at their job."
More than 3,000 workers participated in the one-day strike after the union rejected the university's wage offer on May 20. They currently earn between $35,000 and $45,000 annually.
On April 19, PERB found that UC illegally refused to provide information to UPTE-CWA about turnover savings. While the university has proposed bringing in a third-party mediator, said Chan, "mediation would be useless as long as they refuse to provide us that information."
Because of the high turnover, "the quality of research has declined," said Dominic Chan, systemwide director for University Professional and Technical Employees-CWA Local 9119. "You can't find a cure for cancer if one-third of your researchers leave every year."
UPTE has been in bargaining for 10,000 researchers and technical employees across the state since May 2004. Their contract expired in September 2004. "The first wage proposal we got from them was last month, at the end of April," Chan said.
The union is seeking an immediate progression of step increases that will reward employees for their seniority, but the university does not want them to begin until January 2008.
UPTE-CWA has filed more than 15 charges with the state Public Employment Relations Board, the most serious maintaining that the university has refused to provide requested financial data on how much money it has saved because of the turnover rate, money the union says should go to improving wages.
"We feel UC's continued bad faith bargaining and violations of labor law are severely undermining our research standards," said Jelger Kalmijn, alcoholism researcher and systemwide president of UPTE-CWA. "Researcher salaries are 25 percent behind the private sector and we can't keep good people. They are leaving in droves."
"When good, experienced researchers leave, they take their knowledge with them," said Greg Severson, cancer researcher at UC San Diego's Cancer Center. "It takes at least six to 12 months to train new researchers at their job."
More than 3,000 workers participated in the one-day strike after the union rejected the university's wage offer on May 20. They currently earn between $35,000 and $45,000 annually.
On April 19, PERB found that UC illegally refused to provide information to UPTE-CWA about turnover savings. While the university has proposed bringing in a third-party mediator, said Chan, "mediation would be useless as long as they refuse to provide us that information."