The University of California announced today (Dec. 12, 2013) that its more than 3,000 lecturers have ratified a two-year contract that provides wage increases, retirement benefits and increased support for professional development.
The agreement between UC and the American Federation of Teachers is the fourth labor contract the university has finalized within the last two months. The university has reached comprehensive multi-year deals for its nurses, librarians and police officers, covering an additional 12,500 employees.
"Our lecturers play a key role in our instructional mission, and we are delighted to have this agreement in place," said Dwaine B. Duckett, vice president of systemwide human resources. "This is a great example of working through the issues together so we can focus on continuing to advance the university's mission together."
The agreement, which expires June 1, 2015, includes:
- A 3.5 percent wage increase for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
- If non-unionized academic employees, including senate faculty, receive a wage increase in 2014, the lecturers will receive the same increase.
- The same post-employment benefits and pension contribution rates that currently apply to 16 bargaining units and about 75,000 non-represented faculty and staff. Like many employers, including the state of California, UC has adopted a series of measures designed to protect its ability to provide quality retirement benefits to employees over the long term.
- Funding for professional development increases to $200 per full-time equivalent (FTE) lecturer annually, up from $135 per FTE previously.
- UC agrees to notify the union when a new systemwide online course is implemented.