Dear Colleague,

I am writing about UC’s negotiations with the Teamsters union about a new labor contract for you and your fellow workers, and our efforts to reach an agreement that respects your work and value to the university.

The University’s Offer: First, it’s important you have the facts about our current offer:

  • Wages: An average 18 percent wage increase over a six-year contract. (These increases are on top of the 22.5 percent pay increases UC clerical employees received under the most recent five-year contract.)
  • Health Care: An average of just $384 for generous health benefits for you and your dependents. By contrast, the average American worker typically pays more than $5,200 per year for less generous health benefits for just themselves.
  • Retirement Benefits: A choice between a traditional pension plan or a 401(k)-style plan for employees hired on or after July 1, 2016. Few employers offer their employees this kind of choice, or a pension plan.

A Counterproductive Strike: As you know, the Teamsters union leadership is encouraging clerical employees to participate in a one-day systemwide strike on Jan. 10 instead of bringing our offer to a vote. A recent union message suggests the state has ruled that this strike is legal. This is a very misleading statement. The court ruling the union is referring to is on a completely separate matter just at UCLA and is unrelated to the systemwide Jan. 10 strike involving clerical employees. No state ruling has been made on the legality of the systemwide strike, which we view as unlawful. A strike is also counterproductive to negotiations.

We hope you’ll come to work on Jan. 10.

We believe our proposals are fair and we are urging Teamsters leadership to finalize a new contract quickly so that you and your colleagues can receive the guaranteed pay increases and excellent benefits we are offering.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your local labor relations office.

Sincerely,

Dwaine B. Duckett

Vice President of Human Resources