Uc Employees

Your Nov. 21 editorial, "Wilson at UC: the Smell of Presidential Politics," was so far out in left field that it is still going. Your subtitle, "Back off governor--gay benefits are an administrative issue" separates you from grass-roots America. It is not an administrative issue, it is a moral issue and your inability to grasp that fact brings into question your qualifications to honestly serve the community, as Gov. Pete Wilson was trying to do. This lifestyle you wish to reward with live-in benefits is anathema to the basic tenets of most civilized societies.

The University of California retirement system faces a shortfall of more than $20 billion, according to a new report, and a task force of administrators and employees is recommending changes to help fix the problem. The panel, which released its report publicly Monday, proposed such changes as increasing contributions made by the university and employees, raising the minimum retirement age for new hires and reducing some benefits. Much of the problem with the retirement fund stems from a decision 20 years ago when UC and its employees stopped paying into the retirement system because it was believed to be overfunded, officials said.

The University of California retirement system faces a shortfall of more than $20 billion, according to a new report, and a task force of administrators and employees is recommending changes to help fix the problem. The panel, which released its report publicly Monday, proposed such changes as increasing contributions made by the university and employees, raising the minimum retirement age for new hires and reducing some benefits. Much of the problem with the retirement fund stems from a decision 20 years ago when UC and its employees stopped paying into the retirement system because it was believed to be overfunded, officials said.

There's still a long way to go, and there are still many questions to be answered. Two more years without adequate medical care for the southern portion of Los Angeles County will prolong the suffering of residents there. Buy-in from the Board of Regents of the University of California is by no means certain. But Tuesday's Board of Supervisors vote to approve a framework for opening a full-service facility in partnership with UC to fill the void left by the 2007 closing of Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital is a hopeful sign.

This year the University of California president's office published an employment analysis of university personnel. I have examined these data and made some quick calculations; the results are suggestive, especially in light of the continuing budget crunch. UC employs 113,227 people of whom 36,233 are students. Thus, the number of non-student employees is 76,994. Eliminating researchers, librarians and cooperative extension personnel left me with three categories: administrative, staff and teaching.

The University of California, criticized for giving millions in undisclosed or questionable compensation to top managers in recent years, said Wednesday that it had paid its employees $916 million in pay and perks outside their regular salaries for the 2005-06 fiscal year. The amount, which includes compensation beyond base salaries and overtime for all UC employees -- except those at UC-run national laboratories -- jumped from $843 million the previous year, according to a preliminary payroll report.

As an employee of UCI Medical Center, I have some suggestions that may help to keep the Poison Control Center open. Perhaps David Gardner, the outgoing president of the UC system, could donate part of the retirement benefits he will be receiving. Or the chancellors' wives who get paid 10% of their husbands salary (for essentially doing nothing but entertaining) could donate some of that largess. Or the chancellors who obtain free docking privileges for their yachts in state waterways (while UC employees have to pay for parking their cars at work)

There's still a long way to go, and there are still many questions to be answered. Two more years without adequate medical care for the southern portion of Los Angeles County will prolong the suffering of residents there. Buy-in from the Board of Regents of the University of California is by no means certain. But Tuesday's Board of Supervisors vote to approve a framework for opening a full-service facility in partnership with UC to fill the void left by the 2007 closing of Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital is a hopeful sign.

Somehow the significance of the distinction between funds derived from state taxes and from student fees, versus funds obtained as a fee for service, or through grants or private endowment, is not made clear in the lengthy article, "Key UC Employees Are Best-Paid State Workers" (Dec. 26). As a matter of fact, 16 of the 20 of UC's "best paid state government employees" (the other four are critically important administrators) actually drew most of their salaries from fees paid by medical patients or their insurers--money that merely passes through the state coffers.

Most University of California professors and staff would have to take between 11 and 26 unpaid furlough days a year, cutting their pay by 4% to 10% under a revised budget proposal announced Friday by UC President Mark Yudof. The UC Board of Regents is expected to approve the emergency plan next week in response to deep reductions in anticipated state funding.

Most University of California professors and staff would have to take between 11 and 26 unpaid furlough days a year, cutting their pay by 4% to 10% under a revised budget proposal announced Friday by UC President Mark Yudof. The UC Board of Regents is expected to approve the emergency plan next week in response to deep reductions in anticipated state funding.

The University of California, criticized for giving millions in undisclosed or questionable compensation to top managers in recent years, said Wednesday that it had paid its employees $916 million in pay and perks outside their regular salaries for the 2005-06 fiscal year. The amount, which includes compensation beyond base salaries and overtime for all UC employees -- except those at UC-run national laboratories -- jumped from $843 million the previous year, according to a preliminary payroll report.

University of California employees have given more than nine times as much money to the presidential candidates this year as they did in 2000, with more than 95% of it going to Sen. John F. Kerry. At major colleges and universities nationwide, the Democratic nominee also has been the main beneficiary of employee donations to the presidential race, outpacing President Bush by more than 6 to 1, according to campaign contribution records.

School is out for university teaching assistants, clerical workers and lecturers who have called a two-day strike across the University of California system beginning today. The strike centers on a labor dispute between the UC system and two unions: the Coalition of University Employees, which represents 18,000 clerical workers, and the American Federation of Teachers, which represents 4,000 lecturers hired to teach classes. Both groups are renegotiating expired employment contracts.

Your Nov. 21 editorial, "Wilson at UC: the Smell of Presidential Politics," was so far out in left field that it is still going. Your subtitle, "Back off governor--gay benefits are an administrative issue" separates you from grass-roots America. It is not an administrative issue, it is a moral issue and your inability to grasp that fact brings into question your qualifications to honestly serve the community, as Gov. Pete Wilson was trying to do. This lifestyle you wish to reward with live-in benefits is anathema to the basic tenets of most civilized societies.

At today's meeting of the UC Board of Regents, Gov. Pete Wilson is expected to paint domestic partner benefits for university employees as too risky or radical for the state of California. IBM is not known for radical social philosophy or risky spending; neither are UC Regent Ward Connerly, Chevron, Yale, Bank of America, American Express or, for that matter, the people of California.

None of the University of California's 129,000 employees will receive pay increases in the next year. In response to a $17.5-million budget shortfall, a UC Regents committee voted Thursday to include 121,000 other employees in a freeze on merit pay raises previously placed on tenure-track professors and top administrators. The action also extended freezes from six months to a year. The state budget provides no cost-of-living hikes.

Two former University of California employees misused more than $40,000 in state and local funds, including at least $12,680 that they put to personal use, the state auditor says. The auditor said the former director and administrative assistant of the Student Opportunity and Access Program at UC San Diego were involved in the improper activities.

The last issue that prompted Gov. Pete Wilson to take his seat with the University of California Board of Regents was the ban on affirmative action programs that became a launching pad for the governor's presidential campaign. Today, just as his name is resurfacing as a potential White House contender in 2000, Wilson is heading back to the board to force another highly controversial vote--this time to block health and housing benefits for gay partners of university employees.

Somehow the significance of the distinction between funds derived from state taxes and from student fees, versus funds obtained as a fee for service, or through grants or private endowment, is not made clear in the lengthy article, "Key UC Employees Are Best-Paid State Workers" (Dec. 26). As a matter of fact, 16 of the 20 of UC's "best paid state government employees" (the other four are critically important administrators) actually drew most of their salaries from fees paid by medical patients or their insurers--money that merely passes through the state coffers.