Letters to the Editor: UC defends its contract offer in labor talks to avert a strike
July 8, 2012
In response to the July 6 letter from the UC Faculty and Staff Association and the UC Senate urging the University to consider other contracts, I point out that negotiations with the union were initiated in good faith, and the UC administration has accepted the results of the negotiations. It should not be denied the right to evaluate whether it is worth the effort, especially given its interest in making sure that the University does everything possible to avoid this most serious of situations.
The decision to not respond to the union’s offer to extend the current contract for 90 months was made by the administration well before its July 10 deadline for responding to the union’s offer. UC President Mark Yudof and Provost D. Cameron Dick also have assured the union that the University will consider further proposals for contract extension if and when they arise on the basis of negotiations over the next month.
The UC community remains committed to preserving the integrity of the collective bargaining process, and the administration is dedicated to its ongoing efforts to achieve a fair outcome where there is a mutual desire on both sides to make progress.
The administration has not made up its mind whether to keep the strike in place. For the sake of the UC community and our students, I hope it will find a balance and not sacrifice the good faith efforts it has put in to preserve one of the fundamental principles on which public support for higher education is based.
—Dale H. Gebauer, a UC Berkeley senior English major and a member of the UC Faculty and Staff Association
UC faculty call for support
In response to the letter from the UC Faculty and Staff Association and the UC Senate to the Board of Regents and President Yudof regarding the possibility of contract negotiations, I respectfully submit my own letter.
I am one of the students who received a copy of the letter, and who immediately took it to two faculty colleagues to make sure that they understood its meaning. Their comments were helpful in my decision to sign The Daily Californian’s letter on the matter.
As someone who has taught for more than two decades, and knows first hand how difficult it can be to maintain quality teaching and service in the midst of
