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City Councilmember Kriss Worthington and mayoral candidate Tom Bates urged the University of California to meet its clerical workers’ contract demands. 

“I studied economics in college, but I didn’t need to spend all those tens of thousands of dollars to understand that what UC is offering its employees is bad management and bad treatment,” said Worthington. 

The Coalition of University Employees, an 18,000-member union with 2,200 members at UC Berkeley, and the office of the university president in Oakland, is calling for a 15 percent raise over the course of a two-year contract, with additional 4.5 percent raises for employees who advance a step on the pay scale. 

The university is offering a 2 percent raise in the first year of the contract and a 1.5 percent raise in the second year. University spokesperson Paul Schwartz said state funding cuts have placed limits on what UC can offer. 

The union alleges that UC has a $2.3 billion unrestricted reserve it could tap to fund salary increases. The university asserts that, while the reserve may be technically “unrestricted,” it is in fact tied up in various legal and fiduciary obligations. 

The union is also asking the university to commit to testing every work station to ensure employees’ safety and guard against repetitive stress injuries. 

The university says it takes the issue seriously and is working to negotiate the details. 

“The university needs to respect you, needs to honor you and needs to negotiate in good faith,” said Bates, pledging that he would come to the union’s aid as mayor. 

“I support the clericals in their request (for wage increases),” said Mayor Shirley Dean, in an interview after the rally. “I’m sure that the university’s budget is tight, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pay the clerical workers.” 

Dean said she will write a letter to the UC Board of Regents supporting the union.  

Worthington signed a pledge of solidarity with the union at the rally and said he intends to get the rest of the City Council members’ signatures. 

He said the City Council will consider a strongly-worded rebuke of the university at its Sept.. 10 meeting if no agreement is reached before then. 

In the course of negotiations, which began in May 2001, the union filed an “unfair labor practice” charge against the university, alleging that it has fired more than 200 temporary workers, in violation of the union contract, just before they attain “career” status. 

The university maintains that it is complying with contract language. But, UC officials have placed a four-month moratorium on termination of temporary employees while they discuss the issue with the union at the bargaining table. 

Last month, UC Berkeley clericals voted to authorize a strike of up to three days. No strike date has been set.