UC-AFT update on budget crisis and furlough plan as of September 8, 2009, by Karen Sawislak

To UC-AFT represented employees:

I am writing to update all of you on the most recent information we have regarding the budget crisis and furlough plan.

1. Unit 18 lecturers have been exempted from the Furlough plan.

We were given official notice last week that the Office of the President has decided that Unit 18 will NOT participate in the furlough program.

This exemption is a product of the fact that UCOP has determined that Senate Faculty cannot take furlough time during instructional time. Since Unit 18 lecturers only do instructional work, there is no way to apply the furlough plan to members of this unit.

UC instead is realizing budgetary savings from Unit 18 through a very significant number of layoffs and non-reappointments, as campuses and programs cut back and/or reorganize their course offerings. This process remains a huge threat to our members.

We also anticipate that the University will try to recapture funds it could not take away via furloughs by proposing salary reductions when the Unit 18 contract reopens this coming winter.

In sum, while furloughs have been avoided at this moment, enormous problems remain. We need help to mobilize effectively to protect education and our members. Please be on the look out for opportunities to become involved. We will be holding informational meetings at each quarter campus in the next three weeks.

Here is a blog entry from UC-AFT President Bob Samuels that comments on recent developments connected to the furlough plan:

Changing Universities

2. Librarians to discuss Furlough Plan at 9/9 mediation session.

After a long silence, UCOP also informed UC-AFT late last week that Unit 17 librarians are still expected to participate in the Furlough program. Further, UC Labor Relations now has stated explicitly that librarians will face layoffs pursuant to Article 12 of the MOU unless the union agrees to the furlough plan. We believe that such actions would be across-the-board reductions in time (for example, all librarians at a campus would be reduced to 94% appointments), as opposed to targeted full layoffs of individuals.

The librarian bargaining team has agreed to a have a discussion of the Furlough plan (and the University's threat of layoffs if furloughs are not accepted) as part of a mediation session for our on-going salary bargaining on Wednesday, 9/9. The bargaining team expects to learn a great deal at this session that will help to clarify Unit 17's options. Soon thereafter, Bargaining Committee members will be setting up meetings at the campuses to brief our membership.

3. Day of Action on September 24

UC-AFT is working to support a systemwide Day of Action to call for budget transparency and to educate the community about the devastating impact on education that is resulting from UCOP's management of the state budget shortfall. There will be teach-ins and rallies on the campuses. There may be a walkout by Senate faculty on that day and UPTE has called a one-day strike. UC-AFT members cannot withhold their labor on September 24, but you can participate in and support these actions in many other ways. We will be sending out more information shortly.

Karen Sawislak
Executive Director
UC-AFT
ksawislak@ucaft.org