March 6, 2000
How to improve working conditions tops discussion at latest staff forum
By Jennifer McNulty
Top campus administrators are exploring ways to improve working conditions for UCSC
employees, and pressure from the booming local economy is helping drive the effort,
Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood told several hundred staff members during last week's
brown-bag forum.
Recognizing that applicant pools are down and employment options are growing as Santa
Cruz's high-tech community grows, Greenwood said she and others are committed to
offering a satisfying and rewarding work environment.
"The rapidly changing economy has really hit Santa Cruz, as well as Silicon
Valley," said Greenwood, who fielded questions for 45 minutes from the audience
of about 400 UCSC employees in Kresge Town Hall. "There are a ton of new small
start-up companies in town, and some probably do pay better than we do, but I would
be very surprised if their compensation packages are better than ours, except perhaps
for higher level technical employees."
The local "raging economy" is largely a product of higher education's contributions
to the high-tech and biomedical fields, she noted. The success of those industries
has created some tough competition for the university as an employer, acknowledged
Greenwood.
The areas UCSC administrators are exploring include compensation, benefits, and affordable
housing for employees. "It's not just salaries," said Greenwood. "There
are various things that could be done that might make our environment more attractive."
Kim Tyler, manager of the Computer Science Department and a longtime UCSC employee,
said her research revealed that UCSC is at the bottom of the salary scale for UC
campuses in northern California, yet Santa Cruz is among the most expensive places
to live in the country.
Greenwood responded that administrators are "looking at salary rates at other
northern California campuses." Julia Armstrong-Zwart, assistant chancellor of
Human Resources, said the campus is working with the UC Office of the President to
address these issues, "particularly at the clerical/administrative assistant
level." But even if salary ranges are expanded, for example, the campus would
have to reallocate money to fund increased salaries, and any change to the salary
structure would have to be negotiated for represented employees, she said.
Some evidence suggests that staff are leaving to pursue other employment opportunities.
Human Resources reports that the turnover rate on campus has increased to 11.9 percent
today from 8 percent in 1996. By comparison, Greenwood cited a recent news report
that turnover in Silicon Valley is 23 percent.
Staff workloads have increased in the wake of what Greenwood called "the really,
really depressing period of the university's budget" in the early 1990s, and
the work has also increased in complexity, said Armstrong-Zwart.
As a result, requests to Staff Human Resources for reclassifications have increased
to the point where office staffers are having trouble completing reviews in a timely
manner. Efforts are under way to simplify and streamline the process to increase
the unit's capacity, she said. Last year, 25 percent of UCSC employees were reclassed,
received equity increases, or were promoted, said Armstrong-Zwart.
However, Mary Harrington, network coordinator for Communications and Technology Services
and a representative of the Coalition of University Employees, responded that only
5 percent of clerical staff were reclassified last year.
Acknowledging tension over the numbers, Greenwood said administrators are "digging
through the data," and she underscored her commitment to promote UCSC employees.
"It is definitely in our interest to grow our own," she said.
As the campus braces to boost student enrollment by nearly 50 percent in coming years,
administrators are also trying to anticipate staffing needs, said John Simpson, campus
provost and executive vice chancellor.
"This year, as deans, their staff, and faculty prepared their budget initiatives,
we asked the deans and vice chancellors to consider the staffing requirements associated
with their proposals," said Simpson.
One example of a nonsalary enhancement was suggested by Donna Baldini, administrative
assistant in psychology, who asked if staff could be given access to the campus's
fitness facilities without charge. Greenwood was interested in the idea.
Armstrong-Zwart, in conjunction with the Faculty Welfare Committee of the Academic
Senate, will propose the creation of a committee to advise Greenwood on work/life
issues, and the first step would be an employee survey. "We have a lot of anecdotal
information, but, based on data from a survey, the committee could recommend activities,
proposals, and actions that could be taken to improve the working environment on
campus," said Armstrong-Zwart.
In addition, although Greenwood reiterated her inability to meet with union representatives
during contract negotiations, she expressed a desire to meet informally with union
representatives outside of negotiations, as well as nonrepresented employees, to
hear their suggestions on subjects such as training, work/life issues, academic planning,
and construction.
"I'd like to systematically attack those issues . . . and see if we can't make
some progress during the next few years," she said.
As it has at two previous forums with staff, the cost of parking on campus emerged
as a topic of widespread concern. Speakers noted that parking fees amount to more
than 2 percent of some employees' annual salaries and that employees whose offices
have moved off campus to the Wrigley and Dascom Buildings have received what amounts
to a raise of up to $500 a year because they no longer have to pay to park.
Tom Vani, vice chancellor of Business and Administrative Services, reminded the audience
that by state law and UC policy, parking has to be paid for by user fees. For years,
he noted, UCSC had the lowest parking rates in the UC system.
"I know it doesn't sound as fair as it should be, but we're still in the bottom
half of what UC workers pay for parking," said Vani.
Weighing in on the issue, Greenwood said: "We have a very difficult choice right
now. We can choose not to increase parking and further restrict the availability
of certain permits, or we can go ahead with the parking and building plan that should've
started seven or eight years ago."
Acknowledging the steep increase in parking costs, Greenwood reiterated the campus's
desire to support alternatives, including park-and-ride lots; bike trailers for campus
shuttles, which will be available in April; and alternative transportation such as
e-bikes.
"For employees with fairly regular hours, there are a number of options other
than buying an 'A' permit," she said.
Other topics discussed during the forum included the status of postdoctoral researchers
on campus, communication between campus units and labor relations representatives,
the campuswide implementation of annual performance reviews, and construction of
a recycled water system for irrigation.
Greenwood has announced her intention to hold another staff forum during spring quarter.
