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October 12, 2000 To: My Campus Colleagues From: M.R.C. Greenwood, Chancellor Re: Staff issues In the past two weeks, I have heard from a number of you about ongoing issues of staff salaries, promotion and reclassification, and related workforce concerns. My mail on this subject increased considerably, after the press reported certain statements made by UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl during a meeting he had with staff on that campus. Many have asked me what UC Santa Cruz has done, or will do, to help ameliorate these issues locally, and what influence we might be able to exercise at a university-wide level. The issue of competitive staff salaries concerns me deeply. From discussions at the several Staff Brown Bag Lunch sessions that I hosted last year and in other meetings and conversations, it is clear that all staff--and faculty as well--share this worry. There are many reasons why staff are attracted to employment at UC Santa Cruz. Meaningful and interesting work, contributing to the education of students, a stimulating intellectual atmosphere, and the excitement of witnessing leading edge research are among them. Yet, these advantages do not pay workers' bills, nor do they always offset competition from better-paying private sector jobs. A robust economy and the proximity of Silicon Valley have presented new opportunities and inducements for staff to leave the university, with resultant workload pressures on the staff who remain. Although the University of California system and the UC Santa Cruz campus have initiated positive changes for staff compensation, I believe that more needs to be done. I am writing today to reiterate my personal commitment to continue to address the critical factors that affect recruitment, retention, and advancement of staff. This letter also summarizes recent improvements in the UC Santa Cruz staff compensation program and provides an overview of other plans for continued assessment and improvement. Although we did not call a special meeting to announce these actions, here are examples of measures the campus and University have taken in response to issues some of you have raised. UC Santa Cruz expended nearly $1.5 million during 1999-00, above and beyond the merit programs, to improve staff salaries via reclassifications and equity increases. More than 500 reclassifications and equity increases were processed last year. It is anticipated that the number of reclassifications and equity increases will continue to grow during 2000-01. As programs have expanded over the past five years, the total number of staff employees at UC Santa Cruz has increased from 2,022 in 1995 - 96 to 2,563 in 1999 - 00, a 27% increase. Funding was provided by UC Office of the President in 1999 - 2000 and 2000 - 2001 to address market lags and retention for information technology positions. For this current year, the University of California, through the cooperation of our union colleagues, received a $19-million allocation in the state budget to increase salaries of lower-paid employees. Effective October 1, 2000: Eligible non-represented employees who earn $40,000 or less, and all non-represented clerical employees, regardless of their salary, will receive an additional 2% salary increase. Eligible non-represented employees who earn between $40,000 and $80,000 will receive an additional 1% salary increase. Finally, non-represented clerical staff, who receive a performance rating of "met expectations" or better, will receive an additional 1% after the merit. This means that non-represented clerical workers, who received at least a performance rating of "met expectations" will receive a total salary increase of 3%, in addition to their merit increases. Let me underscore that systemwide collective bargaining negotiations determine compensation and working conditions for many employees. For that reason, the provisions just mentioned apply at this time only to non-represented staff. As Chancellor, I can--and do--urge university positions that are favorable to our workers, but the ultimate conclusion of negotiations involves a process that often takes time. Contract negotiations are underway for represented staff. As negotiations for all the bargaining units progress, UC Office of the President Labor Relations provides detailed information on its Web site. For example, there is an update as of October 10, on negotiations between the University of California and the Coalition of University Employees (CUE) at this site: http://www.ucop.edu/humres/labor/cxupdate33.html. A number of campus-specific improvements to address staff recruitment and retention also are being implemented. Deans and Vice Chancellors received early notification of their workload allocations for 2000 - 01 to enable timely recruitment of new staff positions in anticipation of the new fiscal year. As a result, 52 new staff positions are being created--21 in academic units and 31 in academic support units. Between July and October 2000, the campus initiated recruitments for 286 positions. During 1999 - 00 there were 978 hires including career, casual, new and replacement positions. On March 1, 2000, the salary ranges for positions in the Professional and Support Staff (PSS) series were expanded to provide managers with more flexibility for recruitment and retention efforts. In addition, effective October 1, UC Santa Cruz increased this campus's salary ranges for Management and Senior Professionals (MSP) and PSS positions, above and beyond what was the systemwide norm. Funding was provided to support the Kerr Hall Staff Computer Training Labs, to ensure availability of a staff training and development program that offers the advantage of new skills necessary in today's workplace. Funding was provided for an injury prevention program to support a safer work environment. These positive changes now form the basis for further improvements. I am very pleased to announce the following actions: I have asked for a special report on how the compensation of our new and current employees compares with the external markets. I expect a report by the end of the fall quarter. I then will ask the Chancellor's Advisory Council to develop ways to address issues identified in this report. For non-represented employees, a formal proposal has been recently announced to return a portion (0.8%) of the Incentive Award Program (IAP) funds to the base salary of these employees, effective October 1, 2000. I intend to remove the compensation cap on various salary actions (such as reclassifications, transfers, and promotions) for non-represented employees. For represented employees, such changes would be subject to collective bargaining. A campuswide staff recruitment process work group is developing a plan for a more effective and efficient recruitment process, in order to reduce the time to fill positions. A report identifying short-term and long-term deliverables is expected by the end of this month. A Chancellor's Work/Life Task Force is being established this academic year. In cooperation with the Faculty Welfare Committee, the task force will be charged with reviewing and recommending programs and policies that will support the needs of faculty and staff as they maintain the delicate balance in life between work and family. The task force will make recommendations for campus policy, programs, and administrative action that respond appropriately to the issues. Carrying out its charge during the 2000 - 01 academic year, the task force will report to me no later than June 1, 2001. I have asked representatives from Human Resources and Planning and Budget to explore whether or not it is feasible to implement an employee "bonus" program for current employees who recruit new employees, particularly into areas in which we've had hiring difficulties. They will report findings to me by the end of fall quarter. In addition, the principal academic and administrative officers are utilizing their delegated authority and funding to address workload and salary actions within their departments. They also are meeting regularly to develop ways to address other issues that have emerged from the Chancellor's Staff Brown Bag Lunches, the Staff Advisory Board, and other staff groups. Many ideas and suggestions are being explored. In summary, UC Santa Cruz is very seriously engaged in addressing the most fundamental staff issues--recruitment, retention and compensation. This is a top priority at all levels of the organization. I remain personally committed to identifying and implementing changes that will make a positive difference for our staff.
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