logo

As UC system braces for $500 million in proposed budget cuts, regents award pay hikes

image
Created: 24 January, 2011
Updated: 13 October, 2022
2 min read

The University of California’s regents meeting last week stirred up quite a bit of controversy as the regents approved $4 million in bonuses and pay hikes for UC employees, including some of the UC system’s most highly paid employees, current and new.

For example, three UC headquarters employees will be awarded 10 percent increases, bringing their pay up to between $216,370 and $247,500.  At UC Berkeley, the new vice chancellor for administration and finance will earn a base salary of $375,000 - nine percent higher than the midpoint of $344,000 earned by colleagues at other universities. The chief financial officer of the hospital system at UCLA will receive a 10.5 percent raise, bringing the salary up to $420,000. 

The move was resoundly criticized by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees representing the low-wage UC employees (custodians, groundskeepers and patient care workers among others making less than $40,000), charging that these workers are facing layoffs as well as increased costs for their pensions, retirement contributions and health care costs.

The approval of the increased compensation came just one day after UC President Mark Yudof told the regents that painful budget choices would have to be made over the next few months to close the UC system’s $1 billion budget gap. Layoffs, course reductions, and the shutting out some of the state’s most qualified students - a mover never before taken by the University system (UC accepts the top 12.5 percent of California high school graduates) - are on the table.

As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, Yudof said that:

IVP Existence Banner

     "It may be program closings, it may be layoffs. Each campus is in the process of figuring out where to cut. We are long past the time when we can just cut the fat."

Earlier this month, Governor Jerry Brown proposed a $500 million cut to the University of California’s public education system in an effort to close the state’s $24.5 billion deficit for 2011-2012. UC has already imposed double-digit tuition increases on its students over the past few years and has been seeking out-of state students to help boost revenue.

NOTE: Under the Governor’s plan, the California State University system will also face a $500 million cut, and the state's community college system is facing $432.5 million in cuts. K-12 education funding was spared for the time being.

Latest articles

votes
Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls
It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to r...
27 March, 2024
-
1 min read
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative....
21 March, 2024
-
3 min read
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored....
19 March, 2024
-
9 min read
Nick Troiano
Virtual Discussion: The Primary Solution with Unite America's Nick Troiano
In the latest virtual discussion from Open Primaries, the group's president, John Opdycke, sat down ...
19 March, 2024
-
1 min read
Sinema
Sinema's Exit Could Be Bad News for Democrats -- Here's Why
To many, the 2024 presidential primary has been like the movie Titanic - overly long and ending in a disaster we all saw coming from the start. After months of campaigning and five televised primary debates, Americans are now faced with a rematch between two candidates polling shows a majority of them didn’t want....
19 March, 2024
-
7 min read