Millions more to top UC executives

Rally at UC Santa Cruz Photo Credit: Dana Frank

Six months after receiving 25 percent pay hikes, top executives at the University of California are now set to receive millions of dollars in additional bonuses. According to State Senator Leland Yee, the CEO of UCLA's Medical Center will receive $218,728 on top of his $739,000 annual salary and the CEO of UCSF will receive a bonus of $181,227 on top of his $739,000 salary. In total, Senator Yee reports, the UC Regents are expected to approve $3.1 million dollars in incentive pay to 38 senior medial center managers this week during their meeting in San Francisco.

"At a time when the university is increasing student fees and issuing furloughs and layoffs for low wage workers, it is outrageous that they are finding new ways to enrich their top executives," said Senator Yee. "You would hope that the exorbitant salaries and perks would be enough for administrators to do their jobs without further taxing students, taxpayers and patients."

UCSF Chancellor, Susan Desmond-Hellman told the San Francisco Chronicle that the excessive bonus scheme is "how you run a great medical center."

Last year, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation authored by Yee that would have prohibited executive pay raises during bad budget years at the UC and the California State University.

"The public is tired of the UC administration acting like AIG," said Yee.

UC officials have reportedly said should the UC governor Board of Regents approve the incentive pay, ranging from $30,120 to $218,728, none of the cash will come from state coffers, adding it will come from medical center revenue.  Furthermore, UC officials said the payouts are all but assured when the regents vote tomorrow (Thursday 1/21), because the deal was included in the executives' offer letters when they were hired and they could sue if the regents don't approve the payouts.

Kevin Rooney, executive vice president of the University Professionals and Technical Employees representing thousands of non nursing health professionals says, "They say we all have to share the pain, but managers never seem to share the pain." 

Lakesha Harrison, president of the American Federation of State, County and municipal Employees Local 3299 says, "It's outrageous that top executives receive bonusus averaging $82,000, which pays for more than two workers, while our workers are forced to accept pay cuts." 

Union members are reportedly going to show up at the regents' meeting tomorrow to speak out against the incentive pay.

UC Regents Meeting will take place today and tomorrow (Wed 1/21 - Thur 1/22)

UCSF's Mission Bay Campus Community Center, 1675 Owens Street in San Francisco

Agenda: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/regmeet/jan10.html

For a complete list of executive compensation at UC, visit:

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/compensation/payroll2008/table3.pdf.