Union Workers To Protest Exec Pay At UC Campuses Statewide

WESTWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Thousands of University of California employees and students were expected to take part in protests at campuses statewide on Thursday over what one workers’ union alleges to be skyrocketing executive compensation.

Roughly 22,000 workers at all 10 UC campuses and five medical centers planned to rally against the compensation package for outgoing UC president Mark Yudof, who union officials said will earn a $230,000 annual pension after five years of service with an annual salary of just over $660,000.

Kathryn Lybarger, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 3299 union, told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO workers are fighting for fair retirement, benefits and safe staffing standards in their current contract battle with the university.

“When we see President Yudof retiring on more than $230,000 per year while students — even though tuition has been frozen — will still leave college deep in debt, and while people who spend their lives in service to the patients and students at the university will retire in poverty, that’s just not fair,” said Lybarger.

But as KNX 1070′s Jon Baird reports UC officials urged the public to put the numbers into perspective.

A pension like Yudof’s “represents less than one-half of 1 percent of what the UC retirement plan is expected to spend in benefits for current employees once they retire,” said UC spokesperson Shelley Meron.

The demonstrations come days after Gov. Jerry Brown expressed some concern over high executive payouts at a January UC Regents meeting.

Protesters were scheduled to meet at UCLA starting at 11 a.m.

[Source]: CBS LA