News List

2009-12-10
LA Times: Why privatizing the University of California Won't Work
University of California President Mark G. Yudof went to Sacramento this week in another valiant effort to convince legislators that they're playing with fire when they shortchange the state's higher-education system. In the course of his presentation, he gingerly mentioned the P-word.
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2009-12-06
Examiner: California Labor Union Demands Resignation of UC Technology Chief
The University of California labor union (AFSCME) is demanding the immediate resignation of David J. Ernst, the university executive accused of pocketing more than $150,000 in improper expense reimbursements during his tenure at California State University.
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2009-12-05
LA Times: Abandoning California's Commitment to Education
In 1960, a committee of educators working under the leadership of the visionary University of California President Clark Kerr handed Pat Brown, an equally farsighted governor, something he'd long hoped for: a master plan for higher education in California.
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2009-12-04
SF Chronicle: Anger Over Excessive CSU Spending Continues With Call to Resign
It's been one day since a state audit took a former California State University employee -- and current University of California worker -- to task for charging taxpayers for what the auditor deemed inappropriate expenses ($150k worth of plane rides, expensive meals, costly hotel rooms, home bills ... the list goes on).
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2009-12-04
Sacramento Bee: Union Wants UC Official Ousted Over Audit
A University of California labor union is calling for the resignation of David J. Ernst, the executive a state audit found was improperly reimbursed more than $150,000 when he worked for the California State University system. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents 20,000 UC custodians, food service workers and other support staff, sent a letter to UC President Mark Yudof on Friday saying Ernst's "jet-setting global junkets, lavish meals and opulent retreats at taxpayer expense is an insult to workers who have been asked to put less food on their tables and students who have been forced to forgo their dreams."
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2009-12-04
California Chronicle: Senator Yee Calls on University Executive to Return Improper Payments
SACRAMENTO - While a state audit released yesterday unveiled over $150,000 in improper expense reimbursements to a former CSU executive, it did not disclose that the same individual is now receiving a public salary of $238,000 annually at the University of California. Today, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) called on David Ernst, who is currently the Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President for Information Technology at UC, to immediately return $152,441 to the CSU.
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2009-11-24
The Daily Sound: The University of California, Inc.
By RANDY ALCORN - Nov. 24, 2009
As expected, the University of California’s Board of Regents has raised tuition fees by 32%. Such a steep increase in the price of anything usually triggers a certain incredulity as to its justification. Oil companies were widely suspected of price gouging when fuel prices quickly spiked by 50% last year. How can anything suddenly cost so much more?
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2009-11-21
CNN: Third Day of Fee Protests at California Universities
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Demonstrators entered their third day of a building takeover at UC Santa Cruz on Saturday in protest of a tuition increase, an undertaking that a school spokesman called futile.
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2009-11-21
MercuryNews.com: Santa Cruz Students Still Occupy Building In Protest. UC Berkeley Quiet
Protests by University of California students angered by planned tuition hikes continued in Santa Cruz on Saturday with a possible confrontation with police in the offing following unsuccessful negotiations between students and administrators.
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2009-11-20
SF Chronicle: UC Berkeley Students Take Over Building
BERKELEY - UC Berkeley students took over a campus building in protest this morning, a day after the University of California regents voted to raise tuition by 32 percent.
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2009-11-20
Fee Hike and Budget Cuts Trigger the Occupation of Wheeler Hall
A daylong occupation of a classroom building at UC Berkeley on Friday ended with the arrests of 41 students who had barricaded themselves inside to protest budget cuts and steep hikes in student fees, university officials said.
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2009-11-20
Breaking News AP: UC Students Occupy Buildings to Protest Fee Hike
BERKELEY, Calif. - Students barricaded themselves inside buildings on University of California campuses to protest a 32 percent increase in student fees and budget cuts that have led to slashed programs and lost jobs.
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2009-11-20
San Jose Mercury: UC Santa Cruz Students Continue to Block Kerr Hall
SANTA CRUZ - Protesters who took over Kerr Hall, the home of UC Santa Cruz administration, Thursday afternoon continue to demonstrate there today over historic fee hikes and budget cuts made by the 10-campus university system's governing body.
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2009-11-20
SF Chronicle: UC Regents Approve Steep Tuition Hike
LOS ANGELES - The University of California regents voted Thursday to raise tuition by 32 percent as angry students pounded drums and blocked exits to the UCLA building where the regents were meeting.
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2009-11-20
The Daily Californian: UCLA Protests Escalate As Fee Hikes Approved
LOS ANGELES - A demonstration Thursday by about 2,000 protesters at UCLA centered around the passage of a 32 percent student fee hike by the UC Board of Regents.
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2009-11-20
La Opinion: A Blow to Students
Higher education is an investment in an individual’s professional and personal development and in the human infrastructure necessary to keep California’s economy competitive. The University of California system’s 30% fee hike is a threat to these goals.
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2009-11-20
CNN: Students Arrested After 32% Tuition Hike Sparks Protests
(CNN) - Authorities arrested dozens of angry students at the University of California, Davis, campus late Thursday after they refused to vacate the school's administration building in protest of a 32-percent tuition hike.
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2009-11-20
Video: Protests As University of California Approves Fee Hike
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2009-11-20
AP: Dozens Occupying UC Berkeley Building Arrested
The occupiers were demanding laid-off custodial workers be rehired and amnesty for anyone arrested in the protest.
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2009-11-19
California Progress Report: UC Regents Raise Fees 32% Amid Bleak Economic News
By David M. Greenwald- As expected, a committee of the UC Regents voted on Wednesday to raise student fees by a total of 32 percent over the next year. These hikes will bring the annual cost of a UC education above $10,000 for the first time ever. The full board is expected to ratify these changes today.
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2009-09-16
SF Chronicle: Police Arrest 14 at UC Regents Meeting
"Whose university? Our university!" chanted dozens of UC students, alumni, faculty and staff who expressed fury at UC President Mark Yudof for asking the regents to raise student tuition by 32 percent by next year.
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2009-09-16
Merced Sun Star: Another Blow for Middle Class
Another staggering tuition increase being proposed at University of California campuses is wrong-headed, and will damage California for years to come.
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2009-09-11
SF Chronicle: UC President Recommends Huge Tuition Increases
UC President Mark Yudof is recommending a 15 percent increase in in-state undergraduate fees that would take effect next spring, and another 15 percent increase on top of that beginning in fall 2010.
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2009-09-10
Contra Costa Times: UC Proposing 32 Percent Fee Hike
The University of California may raise student fees 32 percent by next fall, boosting annual undergraduate tuition over the $10,000 level for the first time ever.
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2009-09-10
California Chronicle: Legislature Approves Bill to Rein in UC, CSU Executive Pay
In 2009 alone, the UC Board of Regents has already approved approximately $9 million in executive compensation increases.
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2009-09-09
UC, CSU Executive Pay Bill Resurrected, Approved by Assembly
SACRAMENTO - Legislation to prohibit executive pay raises during bad budget years at the University of California and the California State University was resurrected today after it was all but killed last week when the Assembly Appropriations Committee held the bill.
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2009-09-03
ABC NEWS: UC employees Have No Confidence In Yudof
OAKLAND, CA - Union leaders said today that 96 percent of University of California employees across the state who participated in a weeklong poll say they have no confidence in UC President Mark Yudof.
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2009-09-04
SF Chronicle: UC Workers Deliver No-Confidence Vote to Yudof
The vote of no confidence is just one sign that employees are unhappy. Faculty members from every campus except UCSF are also calling for a systemwide walkout on Sept. 24, when most of UC returns to school, to draw attention to California's disinvestment in public universities.
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2009-07-07
AFSCME Sues UC to Force Transparency on Expenditures
Sacramento Business Journal: "A large public-sector union has filed a lawsuit against the University of California seeking public records on how the university spends its money."
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2009-04-21
Making the Cut: Slash Funding From Other Places
The Budget Crisis Should Not Affect the Wages of Dedicated University Workers.
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2009-01-13
Gloria Steinem Cancels UCLA & UC Davis Events in Support of UC Workers
LA Times
California Aggie
Sacramento Bee
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2008-12-03
Robert Kennedy Jr., Mario Savio Memorial Lecture, & Van Jones Move Speeches Off UC Berkeley Campus in Support of UC Service Workers Fight to End Poverty Wages at UC
Oakland Tribune
Berkeleyan Online
Other Coverage:
UCSD Guardian

2008-10-8
UC Workers Launch TV Ads During Football Games
Two new TV ads featuring UC workers and their stories will be airing during Cal & Bruins games this fall. From the airwaves to the streets, we're turning up the heat!
Watch the TV Ads
Daily Bruin article

2008-09-16
UC Workers Want Larger Role in Governing Pension
Lawmakers have introduced a constitutional amendment proposal that he said would help restore confidence inthe UC Retirement System — by bringing UC employees to the table.
Contra Costa Times story here
Capitol Public Radio segment

2008-07-16
8,500 UC Service Workers Move Forward with Five-Day Strike
Daily Bruin Op-Ed story here
Daily Californian Op-Ed story here
San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed story here
LA Times Op-Ed story here
KQED Forum with Michael Krasny story here
Sacramento Bee story here
CBS Sacramento story here
CBS Los Angeles story here
San Francisco Chronicle story here
San Diego Union-Tribune story here
Associated Press story here
KEYT 3 story here

2008-06-19
Clinton, RFK Jr, Nunez to Cancel Graduation Speeches
Sacramento News & Review article
San Diego Union-Tribune article
LA Times article
Sacramento Business Journal article
Daily News article
Oakland Tribune article
San Diego Guardian article
Register Pajaronian article

2008-05-23
AFSCME Workers OK Two-Day June Strike at UC Hospitals and Campuses
"University of California patient care and service workers have voted overwhelmingly to approve a two-day strike June 4 and 5, Local 3299 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said Friday. As many as 3,000 San Francisco Bay Area AFSCME members, and 20,000 statewide, could go out on strike."
San Francisco Business Journal article
KTVU News article
Daily Bruin article
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2008-05-07
Empleados de UC Claman por Aumento
"Muchos de ellos se ven obligados a tener dos trabajos para poder llegar a finales de mes."
Lea La Opinion noticias aqui
UC Employees Demand a Raise (English)

2008-04-18
Food Workers Win Right to UCD Jobs
After years of hard fighting, Sodexho food service workers at UCD have finally won direct UC jobs and AFSCME 3299 union representation.
Read Report "From The Shadows" here [ PDF ]

2008-02-28
AFSCME 3299 & UC Still at Odds Despite Mediation
“It’s disrespectful and a slap in the face. ... We still have people collecting cans to support their families. All we’re asking for is a living wage.” said Local 3299 President, Lakesha Harrison. Thousand's of UC workers picketed statewide on Thursday demanding a fair contract.
Daily Bruin story
Capital Public Radio story
Fox 40 Sacramento News video

2008-01-16
Bajos Salarios
"El salario de trabajadores de hospitales y custodios del sistema de Universidades de California (UC) es bajo comparado con los salarios en nosocomios privados y Colegios Comunitario."
Lea La Opinion noticias aqui

2008-01-15
UC Wage Report on KTVU News
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2008-01-10
Yolo County Dems Support UC Davis Food Service Workers
On Monday Night, the Yolo County Central Committee voted unanimously to pass a resolution in support of Sodexho Workers of UC Davis.
Full story at Davis Vanguard Blogspot

2008-01-10
UC Struggles to Resolve Dual Union Negotiations
Students on Library Walk protest for increased AFSCME patient care technical employee wages at a Dec. 6 rally. Negotiations between the union and UC administrators have lasted five months.
Full UC San Diego Guardian story

2008-01-09
Patient Care Technicians, UC Negotiations at Impasse
Over 10,000 University of California patient care technicians are working without a contract, as negotiations between UC and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 have come to an impasse.
Full California Aggie story

2007-12-17
Hospital Workers' Union Says Talks Have Reached Impasse
The union that represents patient-care technical workers at the University of California, unhappy with a lack of progress after five months of negotiations for a new contract, has asked the state to declare impasse and hire an independent mediator to jump-start the process.
Full East Bay Business Times story

2007-11-19
Bargaining for a Better Future
Plagued by tiring tasks and low pay, UCSD's laborers offer a glimpse of their difficult lives and efforts to obtain higher wages.
Full San Diego Guardian story

2007-09-28
Medical & Service Workers Picket Statewide
On September 27, 2007, thousands of UC workers picketed campuses across the state to send a clear message to University of California: We're 20,000 strong & we're taking back UC for patients, students, and our families!
Daily Bruin story
Daily Californian story
Register Pajaronian story
Slide Show
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2007-09-20
Food Workers Push Case Before Regents
UC Davis food workers urged UC regents Wednesday to support their effort to become university employees, then disrupted the meeting's start by chanting and marching out of the auditorium.
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2007-09-12
Legislature Demands UC Workers Get Voice On Pensions
Conflicts of interest prompt legislation to give workers vote on pensions. Both houses of the California Legislature approved legislation calling for shared governance of the University of California employee’s pension plan.
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2007-08-30
Sacramento News Review: Food Fight!
Valerie Matthews earns $11.12 per hour working up to 38 hours a week as a cook in the Tercero student dining commons, which serves 800 to 1,000 daily meals at UC Davis.
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2007-08-01
Hill & Knowlton Letter
Download letter from outraged union and community leaders.
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2007-08-01
UC Students and Workers Set Principles for New UC President
A coalition of University of California Students and Unions representing University of California employees have issued a Statement of Principles today that establish five basic values that the next person selected as President of the University of California must adhere to in order to protect the long term health of the University System.
[ download document ]

2007-05-24
Mrak Hall Placed on Lockdown During Demonstration
Fifteen people, including eight UC Davis students, were arrested Wednesday in Mrak Hall during a UC Davis food-worker demonstration. This action is the latest in a series of planned protests against the contracting-out of food-service workers on the UC Davis campus.
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2007-05-24
Sac Bee: UC Davis Labor Protest Targets Administration Building
100 students and workers blocked access to UC Davis' main administration building most of Wednesday, demanding that the university employ their workers directly.
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2007-05-23
EB Express: Pension Woes Dog UC Regents
State Senator Leland Yee wants university leaders to give workers a say in managing their mishandled retirement fund.
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2007-05-17
Union-Tribune: UC Workers Seek More Control Over Pension Plan
Concerns over the management of the University of California's multibillion-dollar investments prompted dozens of union members yesterday to urge UC's governing board of regents to give employees more control over their pension plan.
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2007-05-17
AP: UC Regents Discuss Pensions
Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, has introduced legislation calling for employees as well as UC officials would have a say in pension plan decisions.
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2007-05-09
KTVU Video Coverage of Berkeley Building TakeoverA
mber Lee reports on the Impact of UC Janitors Fight on UC Graduation Ceremonies.
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2007-05-09
Wired: The Coup's Boots Riley Withdraws from Berkeley Graduation
Political rapper Boots Riley of The Coup announced today that he is withdrawing his plans to deliver the keynote speech at UC Berkeley's Black Graduation this Saturday, in order to show support for the University of California Custodians Union’s longrunning fight for higher wages
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2007-05-09
Sen. Yee's Resolution on UCRP Joint Governance
Text of SCR 52.
[ download document ]

2007-05-09
Custodians March for Wage Increase
Oakland Tribune: Actor Danny Glover has canceled his appearance today as graduation speaker in solidarity with UC Berkeley custodians who have been fighting for wage increases for more than a year.
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2007-05-09
East Bay Express: Parsky's Party
The UC regent whose pension fund overhaul may have cost the university billions is now in a position to play with even more of the public’s money.
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2007-05-04
SF Chronicle: Custodian Union Ready to Lift Boycott at Cal
The union demanding higher pay for UC Berkeley custodians says it's ready accept a compromise brokered by former state Sen. John Burton and lift a boycott threatening to disrupt commencement events on campus for the second year in a row.
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2007-05-02
Cal Aggie: Twenty-four Arrested in Food Service Employment Protests
Twenty-four people, including 12 UC Davis students, five alumni and one lecturer, were arrested in Tuesday's demonstration as they protested the out-sourcing of food-service workers and janitorial staff on the UC Davis campus.
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2007-05-01
SF Chronicle: Glover Threatens to Drop Out as Cal Keynoter
Actor Danny Glover says he'll boycott next weekend's UC Berkeley main commencement ceremony, where he's set to be the keynote speaker, unless the university system boosts the wages for custodians at some of its 10 campuses.
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2007-05-01
Cal Aggie: I'm Working For Sodexho: A UC Davis Graduate Speaks
Today, the UC Davis food-service workers will participate in civil disobedience on campus to raise awareness about their desire to be directly employed by the university instead of being subcontracted out to Sodexho, the company that provides UC Davis' food services. The Aggie sat down with one of the food-service workers to discuss why she is participating in today's actions.
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2007-04-30
ASUCLA Student Workers hold Sit-In at Festival of Books
As police officers stood by, about 20 Associated Students UCLA student workers sat in a circle in the street on Westwood Boulevard on Saturday, blocking the increased traffic brought to UCLA by the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
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2007-03-04
AP-Edwards: Berkeley Workers' Wage Push Part of Civil Rights Fight
"Democratic presidential contender John Edwards on Sunday called a janitors' campaign for better wages at the University of California, Berkeley, a continuation of the civil rights struggle that began in the 1960s."
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2007-02-08
Senator Yee and 3299 Sponsor SB 190: UC Sunshine Legislation
Senator Leland Yee and AFSCME 3299 announced yesterday the reintroduction of legislation which would force UC to conduct all of their business in the light of day, including employee pension and compensation issues.
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FACING POVERTY AT UC:
Join the Virtual Tour!
Don't believe there is poverty at University of California? Visit the
Facing Poverty at UC website to learn about the conditions faced by Service Workers and their families, trying to make ends meet. Join the virtual tour as we travel from campuses to medical centers state-wide to document UC created poverty.

ALSO SEE:

"Failing California's Communities"[ PDF ]
How the UC's Low Wages Affect Surrounding Cities & Neighborhoods
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AP: Calif. University Workers Cast No-Confidence Vote
OAKLAND, Calif. - Union employees at the University of California gave overwhelming approval to a vote of no confidence for President Mark Yudof and called for his removal from office.
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