There has been little progress made in the negotiations between the University of California and the University Professional and Technical Employees union.  They have been working on a new contract for more than a year and now both sides have agreed that mediation is likely their best option.  This means bargaining will continue, but it will be overseen by a mediator that will, hopefully, assist both sides in compromising and coming to an agreement they both find beneficial.

The University has stated it will ask the state Public Employment Relations Board to certify negotiations have reached an impasse and appoint a mediator. 

According to the University of California, it has been negotiating “in good faith” with the union for more than a year.  Representatives from the school stated that they are very frustrated with the lack of progress and they believe the budgetary requests of the union to be unrealistic.

The school has offered what is considers “fair, multi-year proposals” that also included wage increases and excellent health benefits.  It also believes the retirement package offered to union members was more than fair.

The union disagrees and wants higher pay increases – nearly three times what teachers currently receive.

In its most current offer, the university offered a guaranteed wage increase of two percent each year of the contract.  They believe this would keep salaries competitive in the market.  They also offered health care for individuals and families at the same rate as all University of California employees receive, which are below the national average for health insurance premiums.  Finally, under the latest contract proposal, employees would see no decline in pension benefits and employees hired after the new contract went into effect could choose between a traditional pension plan and a 401k style plan.