Dwaine Duckett, UC vice president for human resources, issued the following statement today (March 23) regarding contract negotiations with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME):
The University of California reached a tentative agreement this morning with AFSCME on a four-year contract for nearly 13,000 patient care technical employees who work at UC medical and student health centers.
As a result, there will be no strike at our medical centers March 24-29 and AFSCME will present the tentative agreement to its membership for a vote.
There was true compromise by both sides to reach this agreement. This ends nearly two years of very challenging negotiations and serves as a foundation for UC and AFSCME to build on going forward. The agreement also allows our medical centers and student health centers to continue to deliver the quality care our patients and students depend on without any interruptions.
Highlights of the four-year tentative agreement, which is subject to ratification by AFSCME members, include:
- Wages: across-the-board and step increases totaling 24.5%, similar to what UC nurses agreed to, along with a ratification bonus
- Health benefits: rate freezes for lower-salaried employees
- Retirement benefits: The same pension formula as AFSCME service works and UC nurses
- Job security: Revised language on layoffs and contracting out to protect employee jobs.