UC files union charges

The UC Office of the President last week filed charges against the California Nurses Association for unfair labor practices and bad-faith negotiating tactics executed during collective bargaining sessions for UC's more than 8,500 nurses. The parties have been attempting to reach a new labor agreement since reopening bargaining sessions in April.

The filing alleged two unfair labor practices by the nurses association — that they introduced issues not previously agreed upon by the parties to be part of the 2006 reopener negotiations, and that their efforts at the bargaining table were superficial and not a real effort to reach agreement.

"It's not a real surprise," Suzanne De Palma, union representative at UC Davis, told the Sacramento Business Journal "They don't want to move forward. They want to go to court; that's their tactic."

Nelson exhibition opens

The exhibition, Flatlanders: A Regional Roundup of 47 Artists, runs through Aug. 13 at the Richard L. Nelson Gallery in Room 124 of the Art Building. A news release states that the "show is an attempt to simultaneously advocate for the energy and quality of the regional art scene, and establish a periodic exhibition that argues for a shared level of ambition and accomplishment within that community."

For details, see nelsongallery.ucdavis.edu.

Female medical scientists

A new UC Davis School of Medicine program recently welcomed its first five participants for an innovative effort that combines women's health research with career-development for young physicians and scholars.

With a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the new Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health program is beginning with the group of women and a multidisciplinary team of senior faculty who will be working closely with them over the next two to three years.

The program is designed to ensure that participants establish independent biomedical research careers in areas relevant to women's health and have the opportunity to work in an environment that nurtures non-traditional, interdisciplinary collaborations.

Investment workshops

The campus in conjunction with Fidelity Investments will hold a series of educational retirement savings workshops and one-on-one consultations through September. These programs will focus on the voluntary UC Retirement Savings Program as well as retirement savings opportunities. The workshops are all approximately one hour in length and will be held in Room 182 of the Human Resources Administration Building. A synopsis of the workshop topics can be viewed on the Benefits web page at http://www.hr.ucdavis.edu/benefits/3pres/fidelitywrksh.

Employees also can meet with a Fidelity retirement counselor to discuss saving and investment options. Consultations run approximately 45 minutes and are scheduled between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Human Resources Administration Building on the following dates: July 18, 20, 25, 27; Aug. 8, 10, 15, 17, 30, 31; Sept. 12, 14, 19, 21. To schedule a consultation, call 800-642-7131.

Retirement contributions

A report commissioned by the UC Union Coalition asserts that the university "has not justified" the need to restart retirement contributions "at this time." The report by Venuti & Associates of Los Altos states that the university did not use "the best analysis tools, modeling and projection methodologies."

The Board of Regents voted in March to restart retirement plan member contributions in July 2007, after a 15-year "contribution holiday." The surplus that allowed the holiday is slipping away, officials say, and the $42 billion plan is within a few years of dipping below fully funded status — meaning the fund will be taking in less than it is paying out.

But the Venuti & Associates report, released June 29, asserts that there is no "impending crisis," giving the university time to carry out more studies without reinstating contributions in 2007.

Union members say the pending retirement contributions will amount to a pay cut. The university says otherwise, declaring that renewed contributions are necessary to maintain the pension fund's financial health for the benefit of retirees.

The Board of Regents has decided to phase in contributions in a multiyear strategy, up to a total of 16 percent of covered wages. The timing and the split — how much members would pay and how much the university would pay — have not been determined. Also, the university must negotiate with unions before reinstating contributions.

Information on the UC retirement plan is available at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/ucrpfuture.