University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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.ECTURERS AND : L E R I C A L VORKERS MAKE DEMANDS by Lien Dang Students and faculty BEGAN THE FALL SEMESTER by returning to a campus filled with pickcters adorned in bright red t- shirts at the mam entrances of the school . Dissatisfied with the University ' s unwillingness to bargain in good taith, the Coalition of University Employees (CUE) set m motion a three day strike at the UC Berkeley C ' ampus which began on August 26,2002, the very first day of classes. With signs declaring the unfair labor practices of the Univcrsitv, clerical workers passionately chanted to gain the attention of those passing by. Honking cars, chanting picketers, and brightly colored fliers added to the hustle and bustle ot a typical first dav. The University did not cancel classes but pickcters encouraged students to show their support by joining the picket lines, wearing union buttons, writing to UC President Richard Atkinson and Chancellor Robert M. Bcrdahl, and not going to class. During the strike, most students continued to attend classes despite the picketers ' calls for the students to not attend. Disappointed that his class was cancelled, junior Stan Lee said, 1 figure they have something important [to accompHsh], but if it gets in the w.ay of instruction I ' m not going to support their cause. Some though, did not cross the picket lines and joined the picketers in solidarity. Federal H. press refused to cross the picket lines, so on-campus deliveries were delayed because packages were held at ihe l-.meryville center. Construction workers also rehained from crossing picket lines, which hampered construction projects at the Hearst Mining; Circle. The CUE represented clerical workers and some childcare workers and library assistants at the Berkeley campus. This assemblai;e of more than 2,300 workers was the main clerical staff that supported the admmisiration .)nd offices of the University ' . The CUE cl.iinii-d that the University had a history of continuing pattern of illegal practices. 1 he poor treatment that they received included: starring salaries as low as S 23,000 year; unsafe .ind non-ergonomic conditions; higher parking rates; higher healthcare costs; few prospects for upwarcl advancement; and increased workloads with enrollment growtli while die workforce remains small in size. The strike was a culmination of unsuccessful negotiations between the CUE and the University since May 2001 . The Universitj- found the CUE demands of a 15% raise over two years plus merit increases ' Tinancially unrealistic in light of the very serious budget cut and its impact on UC funding. According to the University, both parties made tentative agreements on many other issues. Agreement on wages was the largest impediment to a finalized contract. As the union that represented lecturers on campus, the AFT had negotiated pay raises with the Universit) ' for the past two years. During this time, none of their demands were met. .Also frustrated with their working conditions, they staged a one day strike on August 28, 2002. According to the aVt, lecturers received less than rompetitive wages and faced insecurity in their contracts because the contracts were signed on a year-to-year basis for SIX years, after which they could sign three-year contracts. Although man) ' of the lecturers at Cal were wcU-lovcd b) ' students, they were always at risk of being replaced by someone cheaper. Many felt that their devotion and commitment to the students and to the University had gone unrewarded. As a lecturer, advisor, and assistant director of the Mass Communications Program, Jean Retzinger also took part in the strike. Retzinger said, There ' s no real security of emplo ' ment. Other unions on campus declared their support for the CUE and AFT by holding sympathy strikes. At a noon rally on August 28, 2002, in front of California Hall, which housed the offices of many University officials, undergraduate students, graduate students, workers, lecturers, nurses, and members of the community gathered to support the CUE and AFT. Miguel Camejo, a candidate from the Green party for governor, made an appearance on the corner of Bancroft Avenue and Telegraph Avenue to declare his support for the workers. He exclaimed with intensity, GDP will be the highest ever in California this year, but even with the greatest prosperin ' ever, we arc seeing the greatest povert) ' - the pay increases the Universit) ' IS offering is even less than inflation. ' The University declared these strikes to be illegal because, according to California labor law, a strike could not be called until all negotiation methods were employed. On October 2, 2002, the Public Employment Relations Board issued a complaint against the CUE for bad faith bargaining and for engaging in illegal strikes. Despite the complaint, additional lecturers and clerical workers called for more strikes on October 14-15 at five other UC campuses: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. The University declared an impasse in November 2002 when the CUE proposed a wage increase that furthered the gap between the universitx ' s offer and the union ' s position. While there were tentative agreements made in November, the unresolved impasse led to the appointment of state mediator Micki Callahan. With this step, after almost two years of battling, the CUE finally voted in April 2003 on a contract already approved by the UC. The long battle between the University and the CUE reached a closure, as the CUE demand for a 1 5% pay raise was met with a 3.5% pay increase. On May 1 members of the CUE agreed to accept the settlement Callahan helped to formulate. On May 12 , UC ' s associate vice president for human resources, Judith Boyette, signed on behalf of the Universit) ' . Both sides met on May 20 ' ' ' to finalize the agreement, granting the clerical workers a 2% increase for 2001-2002 and an 1.5% increase for 2002-2003. This agreement marked the q closure of the long battle between the University D and the CUE. LO i

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anner in support of the :rike. Students assembled I front of California Hall to how that the clerical rs were not alone in

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0 ' r%ir i t ' » i ' k THE AXE! ,vi m; C (T) w The crowd chants Freshmen more wood! as members of Rally Comm stoke the Big Game Bonfire This year ' s rally honored the 20th anniversary of The Play. by Dyan S. Ortiga VISITORS TO THE UC BERKELEY CAMPUS LOOKED AROUND THEMSELVES IN WONDER— NOT A SINGLE PERSON COULD BE SPOTTED IN RED. EVERY INCH OF ASPHALT WAS COVERED IN CHALK. AROUND EVERY CORNER WAS A POSTER, BANNER, OR POM POM OF BLUE AND GOLD. THE AIR WAS HEAVY WITH ANTICIPATION AND EXCITEMENT. AND AS THE WEEK PROGRESSED, THE AURA ONLY INTENSIFIED. THIS WEEK WAS CLEARLY UNLIKE ANY OTHER. IT WAS BIG GAME WEEK.