I work for University of California San Diego. I've only been there a few months, but I have a good enough form of job security that I'm not worried about losing my job. But about a month and a half ago they announced furloughs for all staff. Everyone. The thing about a lot of people at the UCs, especially UCSD, is that a significant part of staff salaries come from grants and NOT the University. So the broad reduction of salary that they technically don't have any control over was one of the first points that my union UPTE jumped on and started fighting over.
This whole process of finding money has been ridiculous, as one would expect from a public system in California. It just got a whole lot more ridiculous today.
The cash-strapped University of California - forced to lay off employees, cut pay and offer fewer classes because of deep cuts in state funding - has now agreed to lend the state nearly $200 million.
Seriously.
In turn, the state will pay UC back over three years with 3.2 percent interest and will use the money specifically to help UC get its bulldozers moving again on several stalled capital projects at eight of its 10 campuses across the state.
Source
I was livid when I read this. Setting aside how ridiculous it is to continue to work on new buildings when they're cutting absolutely everything else, the amount of money rings way too close to the amount that they're saving by furloughing employees -- $184 million.
They claim that there is no other way to save money, that it's a shared sacrifice that everyone has to make. Yet they can afford to lend the state $200 million? When the state is more than halfway responsible for getting the UC system into this mess in the first place, by cutting their budget $813 million?
I could go into all the ways this is unfair. I could rant a long time about how their budget cuts are only going to hurt the UC system. But the truth is that this is almost more insult than injury. Take money from hardworking faculty and staff, force them to take unpaid vacations, and give it to the state. The money amounts line up too neatly for this to feel like anything but a slap in the face. Even if that wasn't their intention.
Maybe my union will be able to fight this, and we'll get a better deal. I'm not holding out much hope. But you can bet that I'll be keeping an eye on this. I want to know what the UC is doing with its money, now, because part of it was taken from me.
And the bottom line? No matter how much I get screwed, I need to keep this job. I do like what I do, and I also like having health insurance. So maybe it's not as bad for me as for many Americans out there. But that doesn't mean that I like having to roll over and take it.