UC Berkeley Press Release
Lowest paid UC Berkeley workers get pay hike
BERKELEY – About 180 of the lowest paid employees at the University of California, Berkeley are receiving pay increases up to 20 percent, following a decision to raise the baseline wage for career and limited-appointment employees to $11.25 per hour.
In announcing the increases today (Friday, April 21), Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau said that campus employees face significant challenges with the high cost of living in the Bay Area. His decision to raise the baseline wage affects primarily food service employees, a group whose lowest hourly rate was previously $9.39.
Other employees receiving the pay increases include staff in a small number of clerical, technical and other service-related jobs. The increases are retroactive to April 1, 2006.
"I am especially pleased that we reached this solution with the cooperation of union representatives," Birgeneau said, "and I am proud of the students and faculty, including especially the Academic Senate, who have advocated for wage increases for our lowest salaried employees."
The employees receiving the increases are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Coalition of University Employees (CUE), or the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE), depending on the bargaining unit that covers their positions.
The UC Berkeley campus employs approximately 2,700 food service, clerical, technical and custodial employees. The increase affects only UC Berkeley campus career and limited-appointment staff who were previously paid less than $11.25 per hour. Most campus employees received salary increases following the settlement of labor contracts and the university's 2005 salary programs.
"These employees work very hard at providing services to our students, faculty and other staff," said Birgeneau. "We are happy that we could develop this solution for them and we hope to continue addressing other critical wage and benefit issues as we move forward."