February 27, 2014
Dear Colleague:
In the spirit of our practice of open, ongoing communications, I want to let you know that the University of California reached a tentative agreement late last night with your union, AFSCME, for a four-year comprehensive contract for you and your service colleagues.
As a result, AFSCME has also agreed to call off its five-day strike, which was scheduled March 3-7, 2014 at campuses and medical centers.
These have been lengthy and challenging negotiations, and ultimately both sides chose compromise over conflict, resulting in an agreement that will provide excellent pay and benefits to you, as well as job security.
Highlights of the agreement include:
- Wages: 19.5
percent increase over four years
- 4.5 percent increase plus a $200 signing bonus, both provided 60 days after the contract is ratified
- 3 percent across the board and 2 percent step increases in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
- Health benefits: No rate increases in Kaiser and Health Net paybands 1 and 2.
- An AFSCME employee in payband 1 will continue to pay $11.78 a month for Kaiser or $35.21 for a family, compared to a service worker at the California State University who pays $149 a month as an individual and $392 for a family.
- Pension benefits: Per AFSCME’s request, the same pension formula and retiree healthcare eligibility rules as UPTE and CNA.
- Seniority and contracting out: Improved job protections from layoffs. Revised language on contracting out that addresses union concerns about retaining work within the bargaining unit, while balancing the university’s business needs.
- Multi-year deal: The contract spans four years and ends June 30, 2017.
We are pleased to have reached this agreement, so that you’ll now have the opportunity to vote.
We appreciate the work you do every day to keep campuses and medical centers running smoothly. Thank you for your service to the people of California.
Sincerely,
Dwaine B. Duckett
Vice President of Human Resources