Although my visit to the Philippines pushed me a little out of my comfort zone by forcing me to viscerally experience the conditional differences between a third world country and my first world life, my first world problems still awaited me back home.  I still hold onto the gratitude that I am in a good space in comparison to other spaces out there, but that doesn’t stop myself for holding contempt for the political malfeasance afflicting  my own country or the university I work for.

UC is afflicted with an antiquated occupational system which refuses to promote or compensate non-union represented staff employees accordingly to the job market. There are still unresolved conflicts afflicting UC San Diego as well as the rest of the UC schools.  It wasn’t too long ago when I applied for a Senior Producer Director position in a different department, not receiving as much as a call back as the senior position was granted to a less qualified student.  It’s insulting when a student new hire with less qualifications is hired onto a senior position and is now making more than someone who had put in more than seven years!  This is not an isolated problem.  As a Union representative I hear similar stories from other UC employees. Wage disparity and discrimination is still on the rise.

Authoritative, power-thirsty executives with the conviction that they are too big to fail are privatizing universities as it threatens job security, patients, students, research, our families and our future.  I’ve come back from my trip more motivated to thrive and fight for social justice!  I found a purpose in living, that which calls me into action.

Update on RX/TX Fact Finding & Impasse

Here are some facts derived from UPTE-CWA flyer:

15 Months Without a Contract: What’s in it for UC Exscutives?

Executive Pay & Administrative Bloat

• UCSF’s Chancellor got a $25,000 raise in 2018 while the average UPTE member would get $1,400
• UCLA Medical Center’s CEO received a $3000,000 bonus on top of a nearly million dollar salary in 2017
• UC has been hiring 4.5 times more managers than front-line staff and faculty

Conflicts of Interest & Privatization

• UC Davis is outsourcing all labor at a new rehab hospital to a scandal-ridden private company, endangering patients and its reputation.
• Chair of the Regents George Kieffer’s firm, Manatt, counted Fidelity as one of its clients.  Fidelity stands to gain tens of millions in fees from UC’s retirement privatization scheme
• A fund with ties to Regent Richard Blum received at least $100 million of investments from the UC retirement program and UC endowment
• UCSF Medical Center CEO whose annual salary is more than $1.1 million, received more than $5 million from his relationships with business partners since 2007

UC knows that their cuts will only increase the turnover of UPTE workers, allowing them to make deeper cuts and further privatization in the future as fewer of us are invested in the future of UC.

What is UPTE fighting for?

Fair wages to recruit & retain quality staff

• Bringing wages up to market rates
• Guaranteed raises that keep up with inflation
• Guaranteed Steps that reward years of experience
• Ending UC’s unfair exemption from state overtime laws

Protect our benefits & retirement

• Stop UC’s retirement privatization scheme
• Freeze healthcare costs so UC can’t use them to take back our raises

Improving job security & work conditions

• Stop UC’s abuse of part-time positions and contractors
• Provide stronger protection against layoffs and full-time work by seniority

Winning these demands will mean UPTE members will be able to continue to provide life-saving healthcare, groundbreaking research, and support life-changing education for millions of Californians!

 

On a side note, I am reminded of this law firm I helped dissolve when I was a paralegal.  Heller Ehrman LLP , founded in 1890 by Emanuel S. Heller, had more than 730 attorneys in 15 offices internationally.  Due to the mismanagement of a few executives, the institute that stood for over a century confirmed dissolution in 2008.  This is what happens when you have managers who lose sight of the overall mission to serve the people.  There’s no such thing as too big to fail.

 

In other news, State auditor says UC’s Napolitano has not implemented transparency reforms.  Read more on this UC scandal here!