HR Update; November 30, 2007

In this Edition

UPTE RX/TX Merit Increases, Effective January 1, 2008

Eligible employees in the Research Support Professional (RX) and Technical (TX) units will receive merit increases, effective January 1, 2008. To be eligible for the merit increase, an employee

must have been appointed as a career employee in any personnel program by July 1, 2007;
must have had a performance evaluation completed within the last twelve months preceding the merit increase (January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007); and
must have received an overall performance rating of satisfactory or better.

RX unit employees will be eligible to receive a one step merit increase.
TX unit employees will be eligible to receive a one half step merit increase.
Should you have questions, please contact Kristen Stewart at or 415-476-8034.

UC and CNA Move to Fact-Finding - Panel to Make Recommendations for Agreement on a New Contract for UC Nurses

Panel to make recommendations for agreement on a new contract for UC nurses

UC completed its fourth and final day of mediation with CNA last Tuesday (Nov. 20). The bargaining teams remain at odds over a number of important issues, and on November 27 the third-party mediator elected to move the process forward to fact-finding. All issues contained in the parties’ final offers remain on the table including these UC proposals:

Competitive Wage Increases: UC offered market-based salary increases for nurses at each of its five major medical centers and ten student health clinics.

Continued High-Quality Healthcare Benefits at Affordable Cost: UC proposed that nurses receive the same comprehensive healthcare benefits provided to all University employees. These benefits provide a number of healthcare plans at affordable cost to employees.

No Substantive Changes in the Retirement Program: UC has guaranteed that nurses will not have to make contributions to the University’s excellent retirement system through September 2008 and again agreed that the University will not make substantive changes to the system.

A flexible program for Paid Time Off (PTO): The University’s proposal would allow nurses to take more days as scheduled vacation than the current program, providing nurses greater flexibility with their time. One-half (up to six days) of a nurses of sick leave are put into this bank each year, along with all vacation accrual days; if the sick leave time is not used by the nurse, it remains in the PTO bank for future use as either sick leave or vacation leave. Nurses who use more than ½ of the annual sick leave accrual in a year, or who have illness of more than 24 work hours would have access to short-term leave for illnesses, into which the remaining ½ of annual sick leave accruals are placed. Current nurses could choose to remain in the current sick/vacation program or enroll in PTO.

In the fact-finding process, UC and CNA will present their respective positions on the unresolved issues to a three-member fact-finding panel. The panel will then issue recommendations for resolving the differences between the parties. At the conclusion of fact-finding, if UC and CNA cannot reach agreement using the fact-finder’s recommendations the recommendations become available to the public.

The parties declared impasse and requested the assistance of a mediator at the end of October, after six months of bargaining.

The University will continue to work toward agreement as the negotiation process continues. While there is no timetable in place, fact-finding usually takes from a couple weeks to a couple of months, depending on availability of the panel members and the number of issues before the panel. The next step will be the selection of the fact-finder panel and scheduling the fact-finding dates. UC will continue to update nurses as the law allows throughout the process.

We Are Listening…FAS Customer Satisfaction Survey

It’s not too late to complete the Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey, which will close on December 7, 2007.

In addition to providing input on services from human resources, you will also have an opportunity to comment on other FAS services such as accounting, procurement, administrative information systems, transportation, police, capital programs & facilities management, to name a few. Your feedback is extremely important as it helps identify areas for improvement and make changes to better meet your needs.

Your personalized link to the survey was sent via email invitation from Senior Vice-Chancellor Steve Barclay on November 8, 2007. If you have not already completed the survey, you will receive another email reminder next Tuesday December 4th. If you have any questions, have trouble accessing the survey, or wish to receive a survey invitation, please email for assistance.

UC Retirement Readiness Education Programs

Are you ready for retirement? Are your ducks all in a row?
Start to plan now—it’s never too early.

UC RETIREMENT PLAN — UCRP
UC RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLANS — 403(b), 457(b), and DC PLANS

Please pass this on to your colleagues, circulate invitations, post the actual schedules, or otherwise re-broadcast these weekly reminders about our valuable (FREE) education programs for faculty and staff. Bring your lunch; your questions; your spouse/partner. . .

UC Retirement Plan (UCRP)—UC’s Defined Benefit Plan
- “The Features of UCRP”
  - December 12, Laurel Heights, LHts – 308, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- Refer to these schedules for details and future workshops
- The Future of UCRP
UC Retirement Savings Plans—the 403(b), 457(b) and DC Plans
- “Enrolling in Your UC Savings Program”
  - December 4, Laurel Heights, LHts – 384, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
  - December 5, Mission Center, MCB – 126, 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
  - December 11, Mission Bay, Gen – Aud, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  - December 12, Mount Zion, C – 126, 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
  - December 13, SFGH, Carr Auditorium, 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
- “Determining Your Right Investment Strategy”
  - December 4, Laurel Heights, LHts – 384, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  - December 5, Mission Center, MCB – 126, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
  - December 11, Mission Bay, Gen – Aud, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
  - December 12, Mount Zion, C – 126, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
  - December 13, SFGH, Carr Auditorium, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- “Achieving a Sound Retirement”
  - December 4, Laurel Heights, LHts – 384, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
  - December 5, Mission Center, MCB – 126, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  - December 11, Mission Bay, Gen – Aud, 2:00 p.m. – 3 :00 p.m.
  - December 12, Mount Zion, C – 126, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  - December 13, SFGH, Carr Auditorium, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
- “Understand the How-to’s of FITSCo’s NetBenefits Website”
  - Coming Soon
- Refer to these schedules for details and future workshops
- Schedule one of these meetings for your department
- Focus on Your Future!

Usually there can be at least one (or more) workshop(s) per week scheduled at various UCSF locations around town. For more details and listings for upcoming scheduled presentations, please refer to our Workshops and Presentations Schedules menus found at our local UCSF HR/Benefits website.

How to Cope with Loneliness during the Holidays

Did you know the longest holiday season in America is from Thanksgiving to January 1, of each year? Did you also know that during this time we are bombarded with media images depicting what this time period should look like? We are reinforced by TV commercials depicting scenes of the perfect family, to be peaceful and to find happiness. For some of us, these idealized images of togetherness are realistic however, for others, these constant messages often heightens our sense of loneliness. For many people who will not be surrounded by family or loved ones during this time of year for a variety of reasons, the media portrayals can add to a sense of isolation. “There’s so much hype for this wonderful time of togetherness,” said Elaine Rodino, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Santa Monica, California stated “that it accentuates the feeling of being alone and disconnected.” Unrealistic expectations portrayed through the media around the perfect family can often lead people to miss the reality of how families really are during the times of being together.

The holidays can be a stressful time with family or alone. Whether you are surrounded by family during the holidays or find yourself alone the feelings of loneliness will not dissipate unless they are dealt with from within. Several factors in our environment can also trigger feelings of loneliness such as a recent separation, divorce, or death. Learning effective ways to cope during the holiday season often lessons feelings of loneliness. Therefore, the holiday season is an excellent way of valuing the one person you are closet too-you. Spending quality alone time attenuates feelings of loneliness. When you find yourself struggling with feelings of loneliness do things that make you happy.

Once expectations around what is “supposed” to happen are lowered, it’s time to consider how you might spend some quality time with yourself. Here are some ideas:

Take on a home project. Fix a room, do some indoor planting or, weather permitting, do some touch-ups outside your home.
Rediscover an old creative talent. Have you been telling yourself you’d start painting again or get back to the guitar? Now’s your chance.
Treat yourself to a personal spa. Spoil yourself with comfort. Read a mystery novel by the fireplace. Take a candlelight bubble bath. Curl up on the couch with hot chocolate, a warm blanket and a movie.
Call or write to family and friends. Just because you’re not with them doesn’t mean you can’t make contact. But plan your calls, so you don’t go broke. And make sure the calls are a nice diversion for the day, not the centerpiece of it. You should enjoy the moments of contact, not dwell on the fact that you’re not with family and friends.
Volunteer. You’ll be surrounded by people — by volunteers and staff who share your spirit of giving and by those you are helping. Never will someone be more grateful for a gift. Second, it’s good for the soul. Helping others in need is fulfilling.
Do something with friends. This may seem obvious, but many people don’t think of it. Most of us have been conditioned to think of holidays as time for family only. We’re not used to thinking of this as a time to gather with friends. Change that. If you’re on your own, a few friends might be, too. Get in touch with them, and make some plans.
Seek support through individual counseling. The Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP) at UCSF provides confidential assessment, counseling, and referral services that support the well being of both the individual and the organization. Please contact us at (415) 476-8279 or visit the HR web site at: /assist

If you’re going to be alone for this holiday season, try to make it a good one. Take advantage of what it can bring you: a chance for some quality personal time, and a chance to get out, meet some new people and help those in need.

Resources:

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