Current Local Constitution:

Download the UPTE - UCLA Constitution in Word or PDF Format.

UPTE's Contracts Researchers - RX Technical Employees - TX Healthcare Professionals - HX

Contract Bargaining:

Retiree Heathcare Benefits Bargaining: UPTE surveyed its members in the fall of 2014 and held a bargaining convention in November to plan for the Retiree Benefits Contract Bargaining with UC in 2016 for its represented members and elected a bargaining team.  Once bargaining begins, UPTE will keep you updated and may need to mobilitze its members should an agreement not come easily. 

HX-RX-TX Bargaining: UPTE and UC came to an agreement in mid-December 2013 on all three contracts. After a vote ending 12/20/13, all three contracts passed with at least 93% approval throughout the campuses on these four-year deals expiring in 2017.  More information and links to contract changes can be found at:  http://upte.org/ratification/ UPTE's RX and TX contracts expire 9/30/17 while HX expires 10/30/17. Underway are bargaining survey distribution asking what are the priorities in your next contract.  Contact the office or your zone contact for a copy. 

UPTE, along with the nurses union (CNA) were able to save the single-tier retirement system for our represented employees.  Click here for the PowerPoint Presentation for a description of the UC Union Coalition's
Benefits Bargaining.  Still available is our educational piece. Changes in retirement plan options are proposed for those hired after June 30, 2016, UPTE will keep you informed as those changes could affect current UCRP participants.

HX Bargaining in 2013: UPTE and UC under its new President, Janet Napolitano, had an agreement that HX will not strike again as long as UC did not impose a contract and continued bargaining in good faith.  But under UC's former leader, UPTE had to, on...

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 - Strike by Healthcare Professionals (HX)

HX Strike, all day at both RRMC and Santa Monica Hospitals!

The UPTE Healthcare Professional (HX) unit went on strike in sympathy with
AFSCME, who went out May 21 & 22.  Adequate staffing for patient care, retirement changes and
market rate wages were but a few of the many issues behind the strike.

Thank you to all who participated.  More actions coming soon as the RX and TX contracts have expired as well.

UPTE and UC had entered impasse bargaining this contract. Wendi Felson from UCSF was the Chief Bargainer with Tom Brewer (a Clinical Lab Scientist) representing UCLA.  UPTE entered into a Status Quo situation. There are many rules that change on the job when working under status quo, and they can be found here.  The Healthcare Professionals unit (HX) had just come into agreement with UC to extend the current contract until 12/31/11. In this deal a 1% range adjustment increase occurred retroactive to 12/1/10. Also, a step increase for those eligible occurred on July 1, 2011.  Also on July 1, 2011 the retirement contribution increased to 1.5%.  For more news and bargaining reports, visit the systemwide HX webpage.  UPTE members voted to authorize a strike in October 2012 should the HX bargaining team call for one, which was held May 21, 2013. 

Previous HX Bargaining: In 2010 HX reached an agreement for a wage reopener.  The contract was in effect until June 30, 2011 for all non-monetary issues. UPTE and (reluctantly) UC entered into impasse over the bargaining for raises and an agreement was reached. Over 90% voted to accept the new wage deal.

To get that deal done, in May 2010, our Healthcare Professionals across the state voted by an 89% margin in favor to authorize a strike!  This was the first strike vote ever for the HX unit.

UPTE's HX Contract Bargaining Representative for UCLA in that 2010 bargaining was Lisa Brenner, a Clinical Lab Scientist. That HX contract is linked here and the newly ratified wage reopener is here.  

RX and TX Bargaining: The latest round of RX and TX contract bargaining began in December 2012. Mike Fehr, TX was the lead UCLA bargainer, with Jie Luo, RX assisting.  Once again, Wendi Felson was Chief Bargainer.

Find out what a bargainer does by reading this job description. You can also help by contacting the office and joining the mobilizing committee.

Previous RX-TX Bargaining: In March 2010, UPTE and UC ratified a 5-year contract for the Research and Technical units retroactive to 2008.  The vote passed by a 90% majority.  Details can be found here. The raise schedule gave step and percentage raises through Jan. 1, 2013 for RX and TX employees. This contract was in effect until June 30, 2013.  

RX-TX STRIKE 2009: On September 24, 2009 UPTE's RX and TX units went on strike on all campuses.  UC Berkeley workers went out on strike a second time on November 18 and 19!

Both the TX and RX contracts expired June 30, 2008. After June 30, UPTE entered into a Status Quo situation. There are many rules that change on the job when working under status quo, and they can be found here. UPTE has been bargaining with UC for the next contract for over a year. On May 6, 2009, UPTE's Berkeley local went on a one-day strike.  On March 18, 2009, UPTE expressed its frustrations at all 10 campuses waiting for the same raises our coworkers represented by other unions already received, with pictures from UCLA here.  Two weeks before, UPTE picketed and marched to where most of the work SRAs and Lab Assistants work, in the research lab buildings.  We started at NPI and visited Gonda, MRL and the new hospital. Pictures from this event can be found here.  In March 2008 bargaining was held at UCLA and UPTE brought out almost 100 people showing UC how serious we are.  For more on that action visit this mobilizing page.  UPTE-UCLA was represented by Ron Greene, a Sr. Scene Tech at Royce Hall.  A former local president, Rita Kern, an SRA, has assisted and backed up Ron in contract bargaining. 

Watch your emails for announcements and how you can, in solidarity, support your coworkers for the fair wages and working conditions that all UC employees deserve at all the unions.  And for more on your rights to not cross a picket line, should UPTE or any other union protest UC's actions towards its labor force, click here.

Threats of Furloughs! On June 24, 2009 UCLA held a Town Hall Meeting over the furlough issue.  Interest and demand to attend was so great, it was eventually moved to Pauley Pavilion.  Photos from that action are here.  On July 15, hundreds of employees from UPTE and the other unions marched in front of the hospital to protest the vote on the furloughs by the UC Regents.  That action page is here.  Remember, the state contribution to the UC budget is only 17%, so a 20% cut in those monies comes to less than a 3.5% reduction, the furloughs were not necessary! And as of September 2010, furloughs are no longer being implemented in the UC system! 

Despite UC's celebrations on various campuses, UC's operations over the last few years have been ripe with corruption. Get the facts at our All Mobbed Up! webpage detailing all the malfeasance during former UC President Robert Dynes' reign.  Included are many of the articles from the San Francisco Chronicle on the enormous pay and perks UCOP's top employees receive.  UC under current UC President Yudof is even worse.

Other actions included: On September 14, 2004 over 50 UCLA members came to bargaining that morning to show UCOP how much raises are needed and how the frequent turnover is affecting their jobs and undermining the mission of UC. Six members made presentations representing departments from DLAM to the Fowler Museum and from CHS to Theater, Film & TV. Pictures of the very crowded conference room can be found here. 

Working for UC is not how it used to be, nor is it anywhere near the way UC sells itself as an employer. A recent published study, entitled "Berkeley's Betrayal"  shows the struggle of the average worker working at UC Berkeley, can be downloaded here in PDF format.

Union Benefits:

Did you know that UPTE members have access to low-rate home mortgages, scholarships, reduced pharmacy fee for medications through a mail-order pharmacy, and much more? Just by being an UPTE member you can save money on practical and necessary services. In many cases the savings on a pharmacy item alone may save more that the *cost* of your UPTE monthly membership! Please call the UCLA UPTE office or go to the Union Plus website today and find out about what is available for UPTE members. It costs nothing extra to get or use these services; they are part of your membership. As a member of UPTE-CWA, you are entitled to the AT&T Wireless union discount plan, including the new iPhone. Also, there are also two types of scholarships available for members and their families from the CWA and the California State Labor Federation.  

The Union Plus website also has links to great gift ideas. And to buy union made products, visit the Shop Union Made: and the AFL-CIO Union Shop websites.  

And UPTE along with other unions on campus recently held a Union Plus Benefits Fair on March 10, 2015. For more information from Union Plus, check their website.  

On-Campus meetings:

Monthly meetings are open to all UPTE members and those who are eligible to join. Please drop by and visit a meeting to learn more, ask questions and see the progress we're making. Notices are sent via email, and via regular mail when an official notice is required by the local's constitution. To get on the UPTE email list, send a message to uptela@netwood.net and please include your name and payroll title. The latest meeting list is available here to download and print out, or see our meeting calendar webpage.

More News for UCLA Employees:

Did You Know?

• Designating a physician before you are injured at work
  Did you know starting January 1, 2005, California employers will have more power to control medical care for injured workers, due to the new workers' comp bill passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. An injured worker used to be able to choose any doctor after the first month of treatment is completed. After January 1, if you are injured on the job, you will have to pick from a pool of doctors who belong to tightly controlled physician networks organized by employers and their insurers. That is, unless you predesignate your physician. Employers who provide group health insurance, as UC does, must allow you to choose your doctor to treat your injury, but only if you submit a personal physician form to your employer. Even if you have previously completed such a form, do it again because the laws have changed. The physician must agree to be predesignated, have previously treated you, and be in possession of your medical records. There is currently a legal debate about whether your physician must actually sign the form designating him or her as your treating physician. But don't delay. Fill out this form and send it in -- with your doctor's signature if possible to protect you from any changes that may arise around the interpretation of the new workers' comp law. For any other workers' compensation issues, please visit the website of Gordon, Edelstein, Krepack, Grant, Felton & Goldstein, LLP for more information.  They are Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury attorneys and will provide a free case evaluation.  Note: The firm has helped train many UPTE workers in regards to these issues and we thank them for their continued assistance, but this is not an endoresement of their firm.
• Myths and Facts about Pregnancy Leave
  One of the most grevious things you can do as an employee in the eyes of many UC departments and supervisors is give birth to a child.  UC's Human Resources Benefit Offices constantly give out incomplete, inaccurate or just plain wrong information.  Please download the one-page Pregnancy Leave information sheet for more details.

• Why are UPTE and other UC unions still not participating in the StayWell program? Read two stories here and here.

• Missing Pay Stubs? UPTE solved that problem too!
  Why where they missing? To save UC the money of printing and distributing them, of course. Now, employees who are currently receiving their salary via direct deposit will be able to view their pay stub (earnings information) online effective with the June 1, 2006 pay date. Earnings information will be available one day prior to the pay date as part of "UC for Yourself" at the UC At Your Service webpage. Earlier, to be able to receive your normal, paper paystub, you downloaded this guide, created by UPTE member Beth Sweeney. And with recent changes to payroll scheduling for non-exempt employees and how UC is centralizing its payroll to one office systemwide, more problems may arise. 
• Use of University E-mail
  Did you know you have the right to e-mail and basic communications on campus? In an important decision for UC union members, the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) has issued a final decision stating that the University's policies on phone and email use are illegal and unreasonable, ordering UC to immediately "cease and desist." The decision means that employees may use telephones and electronic mail for union-related matters without fear of discipline-at least until UC formulates some policies, which are "reasonable" under the law. Be aware that UC can and from time to time does read e-mail; it is not your private correspondence.
• How the UC Regents view employees who aren't in UPTE
  Did you know the UC Regents view all eligible employees who choose not to join UPTE as supporting UC policies? That's right. They look at the staff numbers and count every RX, HX and TX not in UPTE as supporting them. To join, go to the application page, download an application, fill it out and send it in! It is easy, and does not cost eligible represented UPTE employees one cent.
• Over 1,000 TX employees at UCLA received backpay
  Did you know UPTE won over $7,000,000 for Techs statewide? In the long awaited decision UPTE has won its case! The Judge has granted the entire 2.2% pay raise, the .8% bonus and incentive awards, and January/July 1994 merit increases to all Technical Unit Employees retroactive to October 1994. In addition, the retroactive sums paid to each employee is subject to interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum. The University promised to pay the raises and retroactive pay and interest. The UPTE TX Bargaining Team completed contract negotiations with the University in July 1997. And in 2003 UPTE again negotiated awards for many of the Construction Inspectors on campus, totaling over $10,000 per affected employee!
• UPTE stopped the abuse of "Casual Employees"
  Did you know UPTE won an Arbitration case freeing thousands of UC employees (from all units, represented by many unions) from the Casual Employment system? People would work with no job protection, no raises, and limited benefits (weaker health care, no dental or vision insurance.) The casual employee would be fired once a year, then rehired the next day. This kept the employee under casual status keeping her/him from earning the proper retirement benefits, job security and pay. Thousands of former casuals got the retirement service credit they deserved along with a conversion to career status. UPTE also forced UC to change the practice of how casual (now called limited appointment) employees are hired. There is no more demeaning firing and then rehiring.
• News from UPTE's President
  Did you know UPTE President Jelger Kalmijn now is wriring a monthly bulletin for UPTE members? To read the latest and/or to download earlier messages, please visit the UPTE E-Bulletins webpage. 
• UPTE's Political Actions
  Did you know UPTE does do lobbying in Sacramento and Washington, DC for one reason: to get higher salaries and improve working conditions for you! The Communication Workers of America also does lobbying locally, statewide and nationally for its causes for all of its members. That money comes from a separate Committee On Political Education (COPE) fund which runs ONLY on voluntary contributions (not from your dues money or fair share contributions) from CWA's members. UPTE-CWA members are eligible to contribute to COPE via payroll deduction.

99 News - The Administrative Professionals, The Organizing Drive:

The 99 category ( also called PPSM by UC ) includes over 6,000 administrative professionals (APs) at UCLA. Over 4,000 of those who are in non-supervisory titles are eligible to be included in a bargaining unit UPTE wants to organize to get administrative professionals their first UC Contract. Some of the job titles include: Administrative Analysts, Programmer/Analysts, Student Affairs Officers, Administrative Specialists, Program Representatives, Buyers, Sr. & Prin. Writers, Editors and Statisticians; click here for a complete list of titles.  UPTE began the drive late October 2011.  Go to the AP website for more information.  One of the many reasons APs need to organize includes...

UC has decided years of service do not really count in a layoff situation. UCOP proposed changes in August 2011 to Section 60 of the Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM) that govern employees without a union contract. The changes would decimate existing seniority protections by making “performance” one of the elements a manager must consider when making layoff decisions.

UC’s proposal was totally unacceptable.
As administrative professionals are without a union contract but existing UC personnel policy includes some key principles of fairness, such as the requirement that managers go by years of service when making layoffs. UC management took take that away. It is no secret that “performance” can be highly subjective. And the truth is, some APs have not received written performance evaluations in years, a fact that even UC acknowledges. In contrast, years of service (or “seniority”) provides a dispassionate, objective measure on which to base changes – that is why it is used in personnel policies and union contracts the world over.

Long-term staff have a strong commitment to the university and its mission. We have chosen to continue working for UC despite deep cuts in our compensation and benefits and an ever increasing workload. We were told that our years of service would protect us in difficult economic times, and have made retirement projections based on our commitments to UC. We have watched as UC executives get large sums in compensation while the salaries of APs keep falling behind inflation.

Staff with more years of service often have highly specialized skills, knowledge and abilities. UC’s proposed changes to the layoff policy encourage the “brain drain” that has already started at UC and threatens to further damage the institution. It also leaves UC open to charges of age discrimination. Union-represented UC employees are unlikely to be affected by similar policy changes. As with the mandatory furlough program, UC is exploiting a “two-tier” system where employees without union contracts will likely bear the brunt of layoffs and reorganizations. That will push morale even lower. “For the University to say that the experience, loyalty, and many years of service to the campus community counts for next to nothing is truly insulting,” said one administrative professional who wrote to UC and UPTE about the proposal.

Currently, the 99 category is not a bargaining unit, but a catch-all category determined by UC for those whose job titles were never included in any defined bargaining unit. In order to start the process to unionize these employees, they must first be divided into logical bargaining units, also known as communities of interest. Administrative Staff Professionals may join UPTE at any time and enjoy all the benefits of membership except being represented in collective contract bargaining. Dues are a maximum of $22 per month, based on the 1.15% UPTE-CWA dues rate for those not under a contract. Click here to download an application.

Click here for a flyer on the union difference listing why unrepresented UC workers need to organize and another flyer stating why you'll want to work under a contract. We have a newly updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) flyer as well.

UCLA can be a great place to work...

don't let the UC Regents limit your future!

UPTE Southern California Office at UCLA 1015 Gayley Ave., Suite 301 Los Angeles, CA 90024-3440 Phone (310) 443-5484 Fax (310) 443-5487 Email uptela@netwood.net

       Return to the Systemwide UPTE page.