More than a hundred members of a coalition of unionized employees and students protested at the UC Board of Regents meeting Wednesday morning, calling for greater control over the management of their retirement fund.

The coalition, which drew together more than five unions, objected to the university's decision to restart employee contributions to the UC Retirement Plan. Effective July 2009, all employees must help fund the university's pension program, as approved at the last regents meeting.

The plan marks the first time in 18 years that employees are being asked to contribute.

During public comment, members of the coalition spoke out against what they called the university's mismanagement of the pension fund.

But regents said employee contributions are necessary because returns for the pension plan were down 22 percent in the first four months of the year.

UC spokesperson Paul Schwartz added that the retirement plan is in excellent health. He said the university has always supported employee participation in managing the plan, but that unions' call for shared governance would be detrimental to its operation.

"What the unions have been asking for dismantles a system that has served Californians and employers extremely well for decades," Schwartz said.

Union members also criticized university plans to remove pediatric beds from the Children's Hospital at UC Irvine Medical Center and wages that were not equitable with those of California State University system employees.

While speakers presented, protesters in the audience chanted and cheered while holding up signs that read "A Seat at the Pension Table." But they were forced to take their demands outside after police told them they were disrupting the meeting and they had to leave.

Protesters then picketed with signs and megaphones outside the building.

Paul Brooks, a member of the University Professional and Technical Employees, said the privatization of employee pensions has resulted in major losses to the plan.

"I'm concerned that management of the pension funds has fallen below certain benchmarks," Brooks said.

Despite the regents' assertion that shared representation is detrimental, Brooks stressed the need for employees to have a greater voice at the bargaining table.

"We have to have elected representatives for all stakeholders," said Melanie Curry, a member of the technical union who works for the UC Transportation Center at UC Berkeley.

Nancy Kato, who works at Boalt Hall School of Law, said the rally concerned not just wages, but also basic worker rights and dignity.

"We hope to send a message to the regents that they need to listen to the people who know best," Kato said. "It boils down to this: we want to be treated fairly."

Kelly Fitzpatrick of The Daily

Californian contributed to this report.

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