Last year, preliminary statistics on new University of California faculty hires were posted at the UC Office of the President Web site. The statistics looked promising, women were 39% of the new hires for 2003-04. The statistics still look just as promising-because they are the same. In fact, the reports are unchanged and no new statistics have been posted for 2004-05.
New faculty members have been hired, however. According to the November 10 issue of the Berkeleyan, UCB hired 77. Unfortunately information is not given about which new hires have received tenured or tenure-track positions. Poor Working Conditions for UCB Staff
Graduate students in the sociology department have studied the wages and working conditions of the janitors, clerical workers, groundskeepers and others at UCB. The report is available at: www.berkeleysbetrayal.org.
Its findings in brief: Many employees make less than a living wage and wages are less than those in the private sector and at other public universities. Employees feel unrecognized and think they are treated unfairly. What surprised the researchers was the importance that workers placed on dignity and respect. "[S]eemingly minor indignities caused workers as much anguish as did the 'major' injuries of insufficient incomes and unhealthy working conditions."
These workers wish to work at the "university for the very same reason that many faculty choose to work at a university-a belief in the institutional mission," said one researcher. "[This] sets them up for deep and painful disappointment if their contribution is overlooked or their full membership in the university community is denied."
Welcome from Northern New Mexico! Since the last Newsletter was published, my husband and I have moved to a small village at an elevation of 8100 feet with views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and Georgia O'Keeffe Peak to the west. At last it feels like we are truly retired. It helps that a final settlement in Singleton v. Regents of the University of California was reached on February 26th, and my appeal over being disqualified as a plaintiff was settled in early July. There are no "gag clauses" in this case, so the terms of the settlement and the agreement can be freely discussed. I find it interesting that there are several very large class action cases like ours in the news lately e.g., Boeing, Morgan Stanley, and Walmart! Women have run out of patience with big organizations that continue to discriminate against hundreds of female employees.
We are reminded by founding members of WAGE that this organization marks its tenth anniversary this year. Actually the first Newsletter was published in 1993, but official organization came later. Over the years many of our members, friends and colleagues have turned to WAGE for support when they ran afoul of the university system. The resources of WAGE cover many needs, including advice on where to find legal representation or an experienced and caring person to act as a sounding board. Charter member Charity Hirsch deserves special thanks for lending her ear and dispensing encouragement and advice to so many of us over the years.
As we consider what WAGE has accomplished in the past ten years, I urge you to think seriously about the future as well. If WAGE is to continue functioning effectively we need more involvement of our members. We need your input and suggestions, your attendance at our semi-annual meetings, your help on the Newsletter, and your support for plaintiffs who are often overwhelmed by the "process" of fighting for their rights.
Can you find time to support WAGE in the coming days? Our next meeting will be in Northern California, tentatively in April. Please, be there and help us frame the future of WAGE as we celebrate the accomplishments of our first ten years. Members come from as far away as Wisconsin and New Mexico-this is a great opportunity to show your support and renew old friendships. See you there!
UC Lost Billions?
The Chronicle of Higher Education (2/13/04) reports that transcripts of closed-door committee meetings of the UC Board of Regents "reveal the university could have earned billions of dollars more on its endowment and its funds for retired workers if system officials had invested the money differently and hired outside advisers." In one of these meetings, the treasurer estimated that the portfolio could have earned an additional $2.3 billion between 1992 and 2002 if it had been managed by an outside professional. Access to these transcripts is due to the suit filed by the Coalition of University Workers, the San Jose Mercury, and Charles Schwartz (see Fall 2003 Newsletter).
2004 Governing Council
Sally Blower, Ph.D
Sue Carol DeVale, Secretary
Charity Hirsch, P.A., Newsletter
Cathy Kessel, Ph.D., Newsletter
Anne MacLachlan, Ph.D., Treasurer
Kristina Murch, M.A.
Marjorie Mosier, M.D.
Eloise Rosenblatt, Ph.D.
Mary Singleton, M.S.
Angy Stacy, Ph.D.
2004 Executive Board Co-coordinators
Pat Washington, Ph.D.
Mary Singleton, M.S.
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