Tentative Pacts Reached With 2 of UC’s Unions

The University of California announced tentative labor agreements with two of its unions, those representing lecturers as well as research and technical workers.

One of the new agreements, with the American Federation of Teachers, appears to resolve UC’s most contentious labor dispute. The union’s 1,600 lecturers have worked without a contract since 2000, and both sides lodged unfair labor practices complaints during negotiations.

UC said the tentative AFT agreement, which would run through mid-2006, would provide retroactive pay increases in the 3.5% to 4.5% range, with hikes for future years to be negotiated later. It also offers increased job security for some lecturers with at least six years’ experience.