UC Berkeley staff, faculty to receive more than $8 million in merit raises

UC Berkeley will be allocating at least $8 million as part of a systemwide salary merit increase program.

The merit raises will be given to staff and faculty who receive satisfactory performance reviews and staff whose salaries are currently under $200,000. The systemwide program will cost the university $140 million in total, according to UC spokesperson Steve Montiel.

The increases will apply to approximately 4,000 non-represented staff who are eligible for the program and will cost approximately $8 million, according to the campus administration. The top 20 percent of staff who scored the highest on their performance reviews are eligible for a 3 to 6 percent salary increase. The remainder of eligible staff will receive a 3 percent increase.

The campus administration was not able to estimate how many non-represented faculty are eligible because the review process for faculty has not yet been completed. Eligible faculty will receive a 3 percent increase.

The average non-represented, ladder-rank faculty member’s salary was $135,000 for 2010-11, while the average staff salary was $60,000, according to the campus.

More than 80 percent of staff who received a satisfactory review earn between $50,000 and $120,000 per year, meaning that the salary bonus would be an additional $1,500 to $3,600 annually.

The increase for non-academic staff is retroactively effective to July 1, while that of faculty is effective as of Oct. 1, according to the campus.

The increase is effective at all 10 UC campuses. UC spokesperson Dianne Klein called the increase “a merit raise, not a bonus.”

The merit increases are part of the UC’s effort to recruit and retain high quality professionals — an effort that has been severely weakened by California’s budget crisis.

Wendy Brown, campus professor of political science, said the climate among faculty and staff has “demoralized” due to dwindling funding from the state. Brown said the salary increase is meant to address this climate.

“Will it do that? Probably not,” Brown said, but added that the bonus salary would nevertheless be appreciated. “Most UC faculty and staff salaries have not kept pace with inflation, let alone salaries at our peer institutions.”

About 40 percent of the money will come from state general funds and other core funds, such as student fee revenue, according to Montiel. Approximately 60 percent will come from other funds, including medical center revenues and contract and grant funds, according to Montiel.

Correction(s):
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that faculty and staff would be ineligible for merit increases if their salary was over $200,000. In fact, only staff are ineligible if their salary is over $200,000.

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Comments

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14

Archived Comments (14)

  1. Tony M says:

    This from the same UC system that is supposedly broke.

  2. Guest says:

    think about this the next time your tuition is increased.
     

  3. Anonymous says:

    I love the University
    of California (UC) having been a student and lecturer. But today I am concerned
    that at times I do not recognize the UC I love. Like so many I am deeply
    disappointed by the pervasive failures of Regent Chairwoman Lansing, President
    Yudof and the ten campus Chancellors from holding the line on rising costs.

    Californians are
    reeling from19% unemployment (includes those forced to work part time, and
    those no longer searching), mortgage defaults, loss of unemployment benefits.
    And those who still have jobs are working longer for less. Faculty wages must reflect California’s ability to pay, not what others
    are paid.

    Pay increases for
    generously paid Faculty is arrogance.

    UC Berkeley (ranked #
    70 Forbes) tuition increases exceed the national average rate of increases. Chancellor
    Birgeneau has molded Cal.
    into the most expensive American public university.

    President Yudof and Chancellor
    Birgeneau have dismissed many much needed cost-cutting options. They did not
    consider freezing vacant faculty positions, increasing class size, requiring
    faculty to teach more classes, doubling the time between sabbaticals, cutting
    and freezing pay and benefits for all chancellors and reforming the pension
    system.

    They said faculty such
    reforms “would not be healthy for University
    of California”.

    We agree it is far
    from the ideal situation, but it is in the best interests of the university
    system and the state to hold the line on cost increases. UC cannot expect to do
    business as usual: raising tuition; granting pay raises and huge bonuses during
    a weak economy that has sapped state revenues and individual Californians’
    income.

    There is no
    question the necessary realignments with economic reality are painful. Regent Chairwoman Lansing can bridge the public trust
    gap with reassurances that salaries and costs reflect California’s economic reality. The sky above UC will not fall

     

    Opinions? Email the UC Board
    of Regents   [email protected]

     

     

     

  4. guest says:

    Excellent…after the Occupy Wall Street event is over, denouncing Wall Street pay raises and excesses…maybe they can move back over to the Cal Campus?

  5. Yoursluttymom says:

    there are now more administrators in the UC system than faculty,
    please do try to defend the indefensible,

  6. Anonymous says:

    More fee hikes coming for the Cal kiddies. If you want to be the best, you have to pay for the best.

    • Anonymous says:

      I love the University
      of California (UC) having been a student and lecturer. But today I am concerned
      that at times I do not recognize the UC I love. Like so many I am deeply
      disappointed by the pervasive failures of Regent Chairwoman Lansing, President
      Yudof and the ten campus Chancellors from holding the line on rising costs.

      Californians are
      reeling from19% unemployment (includes those forced to work part time, and
      those no longer searching), mortgage defaults, loss of unemployment benefits.
      And those who still have jobs are working longer for less. Faculty wages must reflect California’s ability to pay, not what others
      are paid.

      Pay increases for
      generously paid Faculty is arrogance.

      UC Berkeley (ranked #
      70 Forbes) tuition increases exceed the national average rate of increases. Chancellor
      Birgeneau has molded Cal.
      into the most expensive American public university.

      President Yudof and Chancellor
      Birgeneau have dismissed many much needed cost-cutting options. They did not
      consider freezing vacant faculty positions, increasing class size, requiring
      faculty to teach more classes, doubling the time between sabbaticals, cutting
      and freezing pay and benefits for all chancellors and reforming the pension
      system.

      They said faculty such
      reforms “would not be healthy for University
      of California”.

      We agree it is far
      from the ideal situation, but it is in the best interests of the university
      system and the state to hold the line on cost increases. UC cannot expect to do
      business as usual: raising tuition; granting pay raises and huge bonuses during
      a weak economy that has sapped state revenues and individual Californians’
      income.

      There is no
      question the necessary realignments with economic reality are painful. Regent Chairwoman Lansing can bridge the public trust
      gap with reassurances that salaries and costs reflect California’s economic reality. The sky above UC will not fall

       

      Opinions? Email the UC Board
      of Regents   [email protected]

       

       

       

  7. Anonymous says:

    $120 million for the UC system for raises??  Who pays for this?  Student tuition of course.  Nice.  The average non-faculty staff member gets paid nearly DOUBLE the national average salary .. and UC is giving $120M raises at them at a time when many of the students’ families are struggling just to keep their kids in college? 

    Such arrogance.

    • Guest says:

      “The average non-faculty staff member gets paid nearly DOUBLE the national average salary”

      Really? Because most the staff I know are hardly able to survive on their UC salaries. Check your stats before you make them up.

    • Guest says:

      “Who pays for this?”
      The article already spelled that out:
      About 40 percent of the money will come from state general funds and
      other core funds, such as student fee revenue, according to Montiel.
      Approximately 60 percent will come from other funds, including medical
      center revenues and contract and grant funds, according to Montiel.

      So the answer is, a portion of 40 percent.  And what’s your objection?  The meaning of “tuition fee” is payment to the people who educate.  Why shouldn’t student tuition be used?

  8. Anonymous says:

    This is great news. However, the UC Berkeley central administration still has not officially  informed the staff and faculty with  the details that is provided in the news article.  I heard that other UC campuses addressed the details of the merit raise with their faculty and staff weeks ago.