CX Unit Bargaining Update – We’re Speaking Out!

Our CX Bargaining Team continues to meet with the University to negotiate a successor agreement for the CX Unit, which has been extended by mutual agreement through June 2022. There are still many articles for which the University owes us responses, and we gave our wages proposal last week at the bargaining session at UCLA May 19, which added to that.

Jamal Colter, Bargaining Team member from UCSF, addressed the UC Board of Regents before their UCLA meeting on May 19 about the high cost of living and workers’ salaries not keeping up. “What’s fair is fair and what’s right is right,” he told UC President Drake. Sadly, none of the UC Chancellors were present during the public comment period.

Our Bargaining Team then headed to negotiations with the UC at the Wilshire building, as hundreds of CX and Skilled Trades Teamsters members rallied for fair pay outside the Board of Regents meeting in Westwood.

The UC can more than afford to be fair to workers. There's no UC hospitals without workers. There's no UC brand without workers. The UC is considered one of the best schools in the world because of workers. It's time for the UC to step up and be fair to the workers it depends on!

Our team presented a comprehensive proposal on wages, including across the board salary increases that address the important role we play and the high cost of living, step increases and additional steps that recognize years of service and dedication, fair shift and weekend differentials, and bilingual pay. UC has not committed to a date when they will provide their wage proposal. Stay involved in actions and the campaign to win real improvements as we continue to bargain. When we fight we win!

UC gave us responses on Article 33 – Respectful, Fair Treatment, Article 26 – Performance Evaluation and Appendix F – Arbitrators. We still do not agree on some of the article language, but we are very close on the list of Arbitrators.

Tentative agreements reached since our last update:

  • Article 1 – Agreement: Improved access to member information; memorialized our Union’s role in new hire orientations based on a recent arbitration win; increased the number of Bargaining Team members from 11 to 14 for our next contract; increased Union Business Leave rights for Executive Board members and Stewards
  • Article 25 – Payroll Deductions: Established minimum dues amount for occasional workers and electronic processing of member changes.

We continue to bargain over streamlined grievance and arbitration procedures that would expedite the hearing process, reduce taxpayer waste for unnecessary legal procedures, and update the list of active hearing officers. We have proposed strong language that would allow for conversion to career rights for per diem workers and allow for alternatives to layoff based on minimum qualifications.

We proposed improved language under Article 14 – Leaves which will formally protect the right for parents to have up to 40 hours to attend school-related activities for their children, such as graduation ceremonies and teacher conferences, that cannot be unreasonably denied. The University responded that they do not have to provide school activity leave as provided under California Labor Law. We strongly disagree and we demanded that they do the right thing. The UC is not above the law.

We also proposed improved language to Article 33 – Respectful, Fair Treatment that would include microaggressions and micromanagement as well as bullying, and include the grievance in the final step of the investigation/meeting process with UCOP.

The fight for bilingual pay continues as members testify!

The pay for bilingual skills action began on May 5 as our Union presented the results of the member survey on bilingual services. Members joined via Zoom to share how they use their diverse bilingual skills to provide services to the UC community. Please continue to sticker-up, display your desk tent and Zoom background, and refer non-required translation duties to your local interpreter hotline. The UC needs to know we are not volunteering our services and skills and they should pay in line with industry standards.

See our presentation to the UC demonstrating the need for bilingual pay here!

Bilingual Teamsters testify about the need for bilingual pay!

Essential pay also ESSENTIAL for our health!

UC Davis Teamsters circulated a petition during Staff Appreciation Day asking the UC to pay workers enough to “eat healthy.”

More than 550 signatures were collected in just over two hours, emphasizing the need for increased pay for healthier workers, many of whom struggle with food insecurity. Shop Steward Jenny Hodge and Union Representative Mike Erazo presented the petition during bargaining with demands that the UC agree to a fair wage proposal.

UC doesn’t turn on cameras for Zoom bargaining — AGAIN!

When bargaining began last November, many of the UC team would not attend in person, opting instead to participate via Zoom, most with their cameras off as they worked in the background.

The issue of respectful bargaining was re-addressed May 19-20 with Secretary-Treasurer Jason Rabinowitz stressing to the UC the importance of turning on their cameras to be respectful and participate fully in bargaining proceedings, just as it is in person. All but two turned on their video.

In Solidarity,
Teamsters CX Bargaining Team

Jason Rabinowitz, Chief Negotiator
Melissa Munio, Second Chair
Catherine Cobb, President of Teamsters 2010
Alex Vermie, Research Analyst
Deborah Ann Reed, LBNL
Kirsten Willer, UCB / UCOP
Jenny Hodge, UCD / ANR
Dianna Sahhar, UCI
Stephanie Watts-Parrish, UCLA
Valerie Thompson, UCR / UCPath
Krystal Cortez, UCM
Marissa Johnston, UCSD
Jamal Colter, UCSF
Deateria Dickinson, UCSB
Paulette Carney, UCSC

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