Updated 11/24/2020: It appears from “A Message from President Drake about UC’s Commitment to Preserving Jobs during the Pandemic” that the efforts of CUCFA (below), the UC Union Coalition, and the Academic Senate to analyze and push back on the dangerously short-sighted curtailment plan paid off. But we still have to struggle with each of our campus administrations to ensure they adhere to the principles Drake laid out: protect jobs and avoid layoffs (though UCOP retains wiggle room with “as much as possible”) and make any cuts progressive to protect the lowest-paid workers. Though we still have much work to do, the success of our unified effort should hearten us.

Original post 10/28/2020: The Council of UC Faculty Associations’ executive board sent the following response to UC President Drake regarding his proposal to curtail campus operations for five or more additional days in fiscal 2020-21.

Dear President Drake,

The Council of UC Faculty Associations finds the October 10, 2020, “curtailment” memo so vague and disingenuous that it is difficult to formulate a response, especially given the tight turnaround.

We recognize UC’s budget challenges and want to do whatever we can to sustain UC in the face of ongoing crises for the university and public higher education in general. However, we can only help if we have the information needed to give a proper response to your proposal for achieving an “optimal combination of short-term bridging strategies and longer-term structural reforms.”

You say that the University’s broad response to these challenges will be multifaceted. What other short-term strategies and longer-term structural reforms are you considering? We need a context and a rationale for the proposed cuts. Why an immediate default to austerity rather than seeking ways to reallocate UC unrestricted funds and reserves, restore state funding, and seek federal support? You say UC will only move forward with a curtailment expansion after implementing other “prudent financial savings measures.” Such as?

We cannot acquiesce to an ambiguous salary cut of a “minimum” five days of curtailment this year (what is the maximum?) based on promises that a progressive scheme will protect lower-paid faculty and staff. We cannot consent to a precedent-setting solution that allows University leaders to impose cuts without consulting unions. We cannot make decisions without a forthright acknowledgment of the magnitude of the problems we face and all the options you are exploring to address them.

We have many questions and concerns, of which these represent only a few: How will an unspecified university shutdown help our brave, resilient, but anxiety-ridden students? How will salary cuts affect recruiting and retaining our overworked faculty? How will these cuts affect the hiring climate for the diverse faculty UC needs? How do we know whether the curtailment proposal would even save money if implementing it proves costly?

CUCFA needs to know much more about University leaders’ understanding of the scope of the public health, economic, and social crises we are facing to be able to be true partners in any solutions. Based on what we know, we reject the curtailment proposal. Still, we welcome the opportunity to participate in helping to craft equitable and workable solutions to solve our current pandemic-related crises and ensure a future for UC.

Sincerely,
Council of UC Faculty Associations