News in Brief: UC announces faculty pay raises

UC President Mark Yudof announced last Wednesday that UC faculty would be receiving their first pay raises in over 4 years.

In a letter to the UC Chancellors, Yudof explained the raises could only be given to faculty who make less than $200,000 a year. The pay raises will be given based on merit, and professors will be evaluated this coming Fall. The UC system will spend $140 million on these raises.

In the letter, Yudof explained his reasoning behind providing pay raises during this economic crisis.

“One purpose of this pool is to give you a tool in your efforts to recruit, and most importantly, retain leading faculty members, who increasingly are being courted by competing institutions,” Yudof wrote.

Yudof also said that the faculty deserved these pay raises as they have been forced to pay more and more of their health insurance.

“In addition, because of the new benefit reforms we have put in place, all non-represented employees will see their take home salaries diminish as their contributions to health and pension plans ramp up,” Yudof wrote.

Yudof and 400 other UC employees who make more than $200,000 a year are not eligible for the raises.

According to Steve Montiel, UC spokesperson, money for these raises will come from recent student fee hikes, general fund money and other sources from the university, such as medical centers and grants.

As the UC system faces an economic crisis, some wonder where this extra money is coming from. However, Yudof said that he feels the employees of the UC system deserve this raise, especially as they take on more work and pay more toward their retirement funds.

“Fairness dictates that we take this step,” Yudof wrote.

– Hannah Strumwasser