Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 have overwhelmingly ratified contracts covering 20,000 patient care and service workers at the University of California's campuses and medical centers.
A union official didn't immediately return a call from The State Worker seeking more details about the ratification vote results.
Some of the contracts' highlights, according to a release by the university system:
Wages:
• Patient care employees will receive a 3 percent wage increase effective Nov. 1 with a lump sum payment representing the increase retroactive to January of this year. Patient care workers will get another 3 percent increase effective Jan. 1, 2012.
• Service employees will receive a 3 percent wage increase on Nov. 1 with a lump sum payment that covers October wages. Another 3 percent increase is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2012.
• Scheduled step increases will be given to eligible patient care and service employees on July 1, 2012. Service workers also will receive scheduled step increases on July 1, 2013 if they are eligible.
• The minimum salary for service employees, now $13.50 per hour, will be $13.70 an hour starting Nov. 1, 2011 and $14.42 an hour starting Oct. 1, 2012.
Health care benefits:
• Employees will pay the same rates as the general UC employee population. They will pay 2011 rates for Health Net HMO effective Oct. 1, 2011, and pay 2012 rates for all plans in 2012.
• UC will continue to pay an average 87 percent of health insurance premium costs for AFSCME-covered workers.
Pension benefits:
• Employees will contribute 3.5 percent of pay retroactive to July 1 and 5 percent of pay starting July 1, 2012.
• UC began contributing 7 percent toward pensions this year, up from 4 percent. The university plans to increase that amount to 10 percent on July 1, 2012.
The contract for patient care technical employees expires Sept. 30, 2012. The contract for service employees expires Jan. 31, 2013.
IMAGE: The University of California seal / www.universityofcalifornia.edu
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