Dozens of lecturers, resident physicians and union representatives used the public-comment period at the University of California Investments Committee meeting on July 15 to urge the regents to address layoffs, restore courses and raise wages for frontline health-care workers.
Lecturers and unit-18 employees described recent notices of layoffs that they said were issued based on budget scenarios that had since changed. "We were given off notices in late June," said Peter Sebulia, a lecturer and member of the UC community, describing contradictory information he and colleagues received about benefit cut-off dates. Josh Burhinski, a lecturer at UC Santa Cruz who identified himself as vice president for organizing of a lecturers union, said his campus and others had seen program eliminations and that "80 lecturers" have been laid off across the state as a result of a plan prepared when cuts were expected.
Resident physicians and workers at UC hospitals told the regents they face low pay and staffing pressures. Dr. Victoria Fleming, a neurology resident at UC Irvine, said residents are "the frontline doctors" and described housing costs that leave wages insufficient to cover basic living expenses in some counties. Dr. Diana Dayal, an emergency-medicine resident at UCLA, said residents make about $22 an hour based on median pay and work shifts that can reach 30 to 80 hours without overtime; she urged the board to deliver a "fair wage increase now and not later." Several other resident physicians (Dr. Austin Wei, Dr. Joseph Gerlach and others) echoed that demand and linked pay to recruitment and care for underserved communities.
Union leaders and bargaining-team members told the regents they believe the system is giving raises to nonrepresented executives while laying off represented lecturers, librarians and service staff. Trevor Griffey, vice president of legislation for UCAFT speaking on behalf of his union president, said raises to nonrepresented employees without commensurate increases in state allocations had created campus shortfalls that chancellors responded to by cutting teaching and temporary staff. Max Belasco, an IT worker representing UPTE, said staffing losses have hit clinical research and patient care and warned unions were prepared to escalate job actions if bargaining did not proceed in good faith.
Several public commenters requested that regents prioritize protecting courses, programs and campus services funded by tuition and asked the board to intervene or adopt progressive salary policies. Commenters said some chancellors are implementing layoffs and hiring freezes despite restored budget allocations. "If classes disappear, if lecturers no longer have jobs, where will this extra tuition money go?" said Loretta Gaffney, a lecturer in labor studies and co-chair of UCLA's UCAFT chapter.
These remarks came during the committee's public comment period and did not result in immediate board action, although regents and staff acknowledged the concerns and said written questions would be referred to the appropriate staff and bargaining teams for follow-up.