Page One Archive

October 2007 — Page One, Issue 7

CNA REJECTS UC CONTRACT EXTENSION OFFER

UC held its final day of regularly-scheduled bargaining with CNA on September 27 in an effort to reach an agreement before the September 30 contract expiration. Regrettably, negotiations concluded without an agreement.

In addition to reaffirming the University’s substantial proposals, which include raises and limited health insurance cost increases, UC also offered to extend the contract until October 12 and include a salary increase effective in October if an agreement was reached by that date. CNA rejected these offers. As of October 1, 2007, nurses are working without a contract.

WAGES: As it has in prior contracts, UC has offered salary increases that will ensure nurses receive market-competitive salaries. Please check www.UCNurses.com for location-specific salary proposal updates.

HEALTH BENEFITS: UC has restructured its health plans for 2008 in order to limit employee premium increases and avoid cuts in benefits that other employers are facing. In some cases, employees’ costs will even decrease next year. While these new plans will involve changes for some employees, they are designed to ensure that nurses will continue to receive the same quality health benefits and prices as other UC employees. Please click here for further details.

RETIREMENT BENEFITS: UC employees have not had to contribute toward the cost of their pension benefits – considered the gold standard by many – for over 17 years due, in part, to strong investment performance. While contributions from both UC and employees will ultimately be needed to keep UC’s pension plan strong, UC has guaranteed there will be no contributions by employees for the remainder of the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Additionally, when future pension contributions become necessary, UC has stated that its long-term plan is to pay the majority amount of those contributions, consistent with the State’s approach to contributions to CalPERS. For represented employees, the restart of contributions will be subject to collective bargaining.

FLEXIBLE PTO PROGRAM: Paid Time Off (PTO) is sometimes misunderstood, and it is important to note that UC’s proposed PTO program the total number of days off provided to nurses. Rather, it would allow nurses to take more days as scheduled vacation than the current program, would not decrease, providing nurses greater flexibility with their time. Nurses would still have access to short-term leave for unexpected sick days, and current nurses may choose whether to enroll in PTO or remain in the current sick/vacation program. Please visit the link on the left hand side of the page titled "Paid Time Off" for a more detailed explanation of UC’s PTO proposal.

NEXT BARGAINING DATES: October 8-9